This small group of legionnaires and an Atlanta city employee were all that were needed Oct.16 in the installation of the Middle East War memorial. From left, they are Steven Nettleton, Mike McCune, Wayne Roberson, Mike Steward and Gary Richardson.
The strength and balance of lowering a 450-pound base and 750-pound slab is shown in this photograph. Atlanta legion member Gary Richardson is helping the West Memorials employee place the Afghanistan monument.
The West Memorials monument employee is showing his care by polishing the granite slab with its wording, ‘The Middle East Wars.” This monument explains the display’s purpose.
This is the late Mike Lee of the J. E. Manning American Legion Post 258 and one of the four tablets commemorating veterans of the Middle East Wars. Lee came up with the idea for this recognition and led its efforts.
Middle East Memorial Installation
Atlanta’s new monument for veterans of the Middle East Wars was installed smoothly Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Veterans Memorial Plaza. It took the West Memorials company of Memphis, TN, about two hours.
The granite company employees had driven four-and-a-half hours to get here from Memphis. They were bringing three slabs of granite to commemorate veterans of the Middle East Wars. Each granite base weighed 450 pounds and the slab itself weighed 750 pounds. They were moved easily by the truck’s crane under the watchful eyes of several members of the Atlanta J. E. Manning American Legion Post 258.
The journey to this memorial had not always been smooth, however. While fund-raising for the $40,000 project had taken almost three years, it had been interrupted first by the bankruptcy of the original memorial company from Winnsboro, TX.
That company had helped select and carve the first granite tablet of the four to come.
And then, in a greater blow, the legionnaires and community lost the services of Mike Lee who died unexpectedly in November, 2024. Such was Lee’s contribution and determination he had written and dictated the wording for the slabs from his last hospital bed.
After Lee’s death, Legionnaire Gary Richardson assumed leadership of the project and made three trips to the second granite company in Memphis, TN, to keep the memorial going.
“I went first to see the company before letting them do the work. They were impressive,” Richardson tells. “Then I went second to show designs and negotiate a price. Third, I went to see and match the stones that had come in.”
It was then that Richardson heard a price that was too much.
“I told them we couldn’t do it, and when they heard and knew what we were doing, they came down to around $43,000. They even transported the stones here and set them up for us. It was good to work with them.”
The legionnaire supporters had been many, too. The Laws Chapel Methodist Church gave $5,000 to the project.
“Mike was the main man,” said Post Commander Mike Steward. “It was his idea. He designed and the post and the town all supported the project. We spent all the money in our bank.”
‘What is it that we have?” Richardson asked. “We have four slabs rising up to memorialize the Middle East Wars. It may not be unique in the nation, but it is to this region.”
Now the post of determined veterans has another project. They need to upgrade their meeting house. Its floors are sagging. Somebody come up with an idea.