It would be the first of its kind in Kansas -- and it comes from a mother's love for her son.
Five years ago this month, Sgt. Evan Parker died from the wounds he received in Iraq. He is one of 64 Kansans who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And now, there's a movement to build a memorial to all of them in the heart of Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park.
This patch of land sits quietly. The grass is touched by sun and shadows, the Arkansas River shimmers just over a hill.
"I think he would like this spot," said Anita Dixon. To her, this is the perfect spot for her son, Sgt. Evan Parker -- and 67 other troops -- to be remembered.
"My son was killed in Iraq," Dixon explained. "It's important that I honor and keep all of the Kansas soldiers remembered. That is my hope and my dream."
That dream, the Operation Freedom Memorial, would sit in the Wichita Veterans Memorial park. "I think he would hold it in high honor that he was here with these military brothers and sisters for many, many years," said Dixon proudly.
The memorial would have a troop kneeling in front of the battle cross, and beyond that, a wall with the names of Kansans who died serving in Desert Storm and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A 25-foot circle would sit underneath, allowing people to engrave pavers with their names and service dates.
"I think it's a privilege to be a part of it," said John Wilson. He is a Wichita man, and a Vietnam Veteran. "Soldiers would get spit on," he remembered. "You know, they would do what the country told them to do, whether they wanted to be or not. And it took them 30 years to get any respect. We don't want that to happen to the people that's serving now."
So Dixon has made the memorial her mission. "Because my hope and my dream was for everybody to come down here and to see this -- and just --- to be blown away. To feel the very presence of every single one of those soldiers who gave their lives for our country."
The group hopes to build the memorial in two years. It needs $200,000; it currently has $6,000. "I don't want to get to the point where I have to have bake sales and garage sales and sell Tshirts," said Dixon. "I just want this to be by donation, if at all possible."
Donate Online:
http://www.ofm-ks.com
Send Check or Money Order to:
Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 782414
Wichita, KS 67278
