On Feb. 15, a panel on the west wall at the Orion Veterans Memorial fell off on to the snow-covered ground. VFW Post 334 then put out the call for donations to help with repairs.

Now, the veterans and their troop of ‘Lone Ranger’ volunteers want the public to know that the money was put to good use.

On Oct. 2, the enhancements to the three slate wall memorials began, with volunteers spending three days putting caps on top of the walls.

“We were very fortunate that no damage occurred at that time,” said one of the volunteers who asked to remain nameless. “Two of the walls were repaired on Friday and Saturday, the third wall will start the repair process on Monday Oct. 5.”

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

Through volunteer efforts, those costs were greatly reduced.

“The procedure to repair the wall requires removing all the cement caps from the top of the monuments, adding a stainless-steel piece of edging to the top while adding new reinforcement materials to secure and protect from potential water and weather occurrences.

“The Orion Veterans Memorial would like to thank all of you who donated money and your time that allowed this repair process to take place while maintaining the beauty of such a wonderful and special place.

“We are so blessed to have such a Memorial in Lake Orion. If you have never been there, please do not just drive by, take the time to stop and visit and see what the Veterans Memorial has to offer.”