By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The Orion Veterans Memorial is a hallowed place in the community, a place where its veterans, family, friends and supporters gather to commemorate the military service of Orion’s own.

Over the past two decades, the veterans have worked to make the memorial an attractive monument in which they and the community take pride.

On Feb. 15, a panel on the west wall fell off the wall, on to the snow-covered ground.

Bob Watros, park manager of the Veterans Memorial, said he and his wife, Toni, were driving by the memorial around 5 p.m. on Saturday when they noticed a panel missing from one of the walls.

“It just fell. There was no warning, no indicator. It just fell,” Watros said. “It was a shocker.”

The panel fell sometime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. that day, and was the only panel that could have fallen and not hit anything else.

Watros said they were “very fortunate” that the panel didn’t hit anyone – and didn’t break.

“Boy, we just wouldn’t want to hurt anybody. That’s our main concern,” he said.

Likely, water got behind the panel and the repeated freezing and thawing in the colder-then-warmer weather this winter contributed to the panel dislodging and falling, Watros said.

The panel, which is on the “Military Branches of Service” wall, is black granite and weighs 600-800 pounds. Panels on that wall and other walls at the memorial are also pulling away and will require repairs.

“Now we’ve investigated and it looks like some of the other ones might be moving,” Watros said. “That could cost us a lot of money.”

The panels will have to be removed and reattached. There will also be new concrete caps at the top of the panels. The caps will have an “L” shape to them that will overlap the granite panels – so that even if a panel comes loose in the future it will not fall, Watros said.

On Saturday, the American Legion Riders of American Legion Walter Fraser Post 108 on Drahner Road in Oxford donated $500 toward the cost of repairs at the memorial.

Sandi “Sassy” Sergeant, treasurer at Post 108, said she saw the article in last week’s Lake Orion Review and took it to Post 108 director John “Wingman” Wooten and the rest of the executive board.

“I brought it to the board and Wingman said ‘Yes,’” Sergeant said. “It’ just seemed like a no-brainer to help out the community and veterans at the same time.”

Sergeant said many of the 44 members at Post 108 have bricks at the Orion Veterans Memorial and the riders – all motorcycle enthusiasts – will take a ride to the memorial or occasionally have events there.

“We absolutely wanted to help out when we saw the need. If something comes up and we see the need and this was perfect,” Sergeant said.

Watros and Orion Veterans Memorial Board Secretary JoAnn Van Tassel met with the Post 108 Riders on Saturday to accept the check and thank them for their support.

“They’re quite a group. We’re very grateful to them,” Watros said.

The Orion Veterans Memorial board

“The estimated cost to repair the 14 panels is $17,000,” VFW Post 344 Quartermaster Chuck Haskins said.

The Orion Veterans Memorial is a 501(C)3 tax status and donations are tax deductible. Donations can be sent to: Orion Veterans Memorial, 189 W. Clarkson Road, Box 4, Lake Orion MI 48362. In the memo/note area please write “Memorial Walls.”

Watros said the Veterans Memorial Board is still trying to find the most affordable way to fix the walls, but safety and

“Safety is our main concern. Whatever it costs, we’ll have to fix it,” Watros said. “If we’ve got to fix it, we might as well do it right,” he said.

The Orion Veterans Memorial began in 1994 on the 50th anniversary of D-Day, when a group of local citizens met at Children’s Park in Lake Orion and announced plans to build a memorial.

After selecting a site and raising funds, the memorial was constructed in several phases over 20 years.

The Orion Veterans Memorial pays tribute to all the military service personnel who honorably served their country and embraces all veterans and their family members in tribute.

The memorial is the site of several military ceremonies throughout the year, including the Memorial Day ceremonies and the 9/11 ceremony, honoring the nation’s, and Orion’s, first responders.

The Orion Veterans Memorial is at 312 S. Broadway St. For more information on the Orion Veterans Memorial, visit orionveteransmemorial.com.