Yankee Springs Trustee, Dave VanHouten, Chair of the Yankee Springs Veterans Memorial Committee announced the dedication of the Memorial for Monday, September 6, 2021, Labor Day. The Memorial has been a project the Township has been working on for a number of years and VanHouten, on behalf of the Township Board and the Veterans Committee, said “we are delighted to bring this project to completion after a lot of work by a number of people.”
Township Supervisor Rob Heethuis said, “a priority for the incoming Township Board has been to complete a number of projects that had been started, but sort of stalled out. I asked Trustee Dave VanHouten to convene a new Veterans Memorial Committee to pick up on the initial effort and see the project through to completion in a final form that would honor our veterans.”
Citizen contributions were the initial source of funding for the Memorial, but the project needed an infusion of resources to allow a proper build out. The Yankee Springs Township Board asked the Gun Lake Tribe if they would approve the use of some of the contributions to the Township for the Memorial. The Gun Lake Tribe has supported local governments with casino revenue regularly, and was very supportive of using some of the shared revenue with Yankee Springs Township for the Memorial. Tribal spokesman, David “DK” Sprague, said “the Gun Lake Tribe is proud to partner with Yankee Springs Township to complete this project and honor our veterans.”
VanHouten said, “it is important to remember and honor our veterans. At this time when we have challenging policy issues with regard to our military involvement in other countries, let us make a clear and complete distinction between policy issues, and not confuse those with the “heroism” of our military patriots. They served our country and on our behalf regardless of political issues and are to be honored and recognized for their service and heroism. Their commitment for putting themselves in harm’s way and absolute commitment to their fellow service members is beyond reproach. I invite everyone to join us on Labor Day as we dedicate this symbol of respect for our veterans.”
Representatives of Yankee Springs Township, the Gun Lake Tribe, and the community will gather at the Memorial at 10:00 a.m. on September 6th for the dedication ceremony. Brief comments will be offered by those involved in the construction of the Memorial and light refreshments will be served. The Memorial is located next to Yankee Springs Fire Station, 1425 S. Payne Lake Road, at the corner of M-179 and S. Payne Lake Rd. All are welcome!
