What started more than a decade ago as a temporary garden of crosses made to honor Indiana’s fallen soldiers in the front yard of Donald and Carol Peed turned into a permanently memorial at 401 N. Union St., Westfield. The Fallen Hoosier Heroes Memorial for Enduring Freedom, which was created in 2002, is now undergoing another renovation.
The memorial was started by Vietnam Veteran Command Sgt. Major Donald E. Peed after Sept. 11.
“He wanted to go to Iraq,” said his wife, Carol. “He wanted to be there if the guys needed somebody to talk to. He was told no so he came up with the idea of the crosses.”
Carol said the memorial had 66 white crosses when Donald, 67, died from a heart attack caused by the effects of Agent Orange in September 2005.
“He was a very patriotic person,” she said. “When we put the first cross in the ground we never dreamed it would amount to what it has become.”
As a result of the harsh winters and time, Carol said the crosses began to deteriorate and the memorial committee felt it was not a fair honoring of the deceased soldiers.
“Some were starting to rot,” Carol said.
“We took them down and are trying plaques for now. It’s a lot of work,” said Bill Doss, an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. “The crosses made a big impact, but I feel just as much of an impact with the stones. It opens it up more.”
Doss said the future is uncertain as the memorial committee has a vision to create a unique memorial in a larger area.
“With 206 kids we’ve run out of space. Two hundred and forty-eight have died on duty while serving … We don’t want to see any more die,” he said. “We’d like to find ground to put it on. We’d like to keep it here in this area.”
Dennis Zavada, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, assists with the maintenance and care of the memorial.
“We’ve had help from a variety of different people. There is a lot of good people volunteering – veterans, nonveterans, kids and the elderly,” he said.
Zavada said mementos left by family members were collected and will be returned once all renovations are finished.
The first cross placed was in memory of U.S. Marine Sgt. Jeannette L. Winters, 25, of Gary.
