GLASTONBURY, Conn. — A "total community effort" in Glastonbury led to the installation of a new Heroes Monument at the town's Riverfront Park, said Don Longtin, retired president of the Glastonbury Little League program.
The monument was installed alongside an effort to replace 100 metal halide lights at Riverfront Park's baseball field #4, newly renamed to Heroes Field, with cost-saving LED lights to meet safety standards.
Installation of the lights was completed at the end of August after about a month and the monument was finished on Nov. 5 after two months of installation.
The Glastonbury Little League and Glastonbury Amateur Baseball took on financing the project, with help from over 280 donors from various town businesses and organizations, as well as fundraising events including a magic show and a golf tournament.
Close to $300,000 was raised for the project, Longtin said.
Longtin, a Korean War veteran who spearheaded the project, said the monument's three different-colored granite columns represent the men and women who serve the country, including blue for police, red for firefighters and green for military.
"The monument is to serve a constant reminder to all those who serve today, our veterans, our police officers and our firefighters," Longtin said. "Especially to remind the younger people that come [to Heroes Field] and play baseball, America's game, to remind them who the real heroes are."
The granite for the columns was distributed from different parts of the world, including India, China and South Africa, Longtin said.
Connecticut State Police Trooper Evan Goddard noted that the father-in-law of a trooper from State Police Troop H helped construct the monument.
Those who want to pay tribute to specific people who served or are serving have the option to write the person's name on a rock and place it around the monument starting Monday.
"We were able to place down some rocks with the names of heroes, [including] the officers that had fallen in Bristol, TFC Aaron Pelletier and others in the area," Goddard said. "So with these stones, anyone can come here and write down the name of a hero of theirs, write it down on a stone and place it back, and with that those names and people become a part of the monument and the pillar here in Glastonbury."
New Heroes Monument at Glastonbury's Riverfront Park dedicated on Veterans Day
Multiple members of town, state and military agencies were in attendance at the dedication event held Monday, where Heroes Field was officially given its name alongside the new monument.
Bobby DiBella, director of Glastonbury's Emergency Management, said that the new monument represents a sense of "belonging" in the community for "each of us who serve, and those of us who don't," including the town's police, fire, EMS, military and emergency management.
"That's what we do in town, we all work together," DiBella said.
George Norman, retired U.S. Navy captain, noted that the monument illustrates the "basics of what government is supposed to provide" by including military, police and firefighters.
"All of these people make the community part of what it is, they're all necessary parts for safety and security," Norman said.
Rich, a U.S. Navy veteran, said he hopes that both the field and monument will inspire a "love of country" with the youth.
"The kids that are going to come and play ball here, they're going to see this monument and it's a beautiful monument, and hopefully it will inspire a love of country and service as they grow older and leave school," he said.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com.
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