Memorial material arrives

By Jim Maniaci
Cibola County Bureau

MILAN — The five black granite blocks for the planned Cibola-Milan Veterans Memorial have been ordered from the quarry in Georgia.

Hugh Sheldrick, who owns a monument company in Milan, said it will take about two months for the stones to be quarried, cut, polished and shipped across the country to New Mexico.

He and Raymond Savedra were part of a trio of veterans, led by Harry Garcia, along with their wives, who organized, designed and raised the money for the about-to-be-dedicated Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Friendship Park on Santa Fe Avenue (Route 66) in neighboring Grants.

A new group, which includes Sheldrick and Savedra, are doing the memorial for all Cibola County men and women killed in action since statehood in 1912. The new campaign committee for the new memorial is chaired by Cibola County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Marquez and includes Deputy Sheriff Tony Mace along with Sheldrick and Savedra.

The five black blocks will be mounted vertically in a Chaco Canyon style wall which will include unglassed windows and viga poles. Each 4-inch thick block will be 17 inches wide and 56 inches tall. Sheldrick will do the sandblasting to etch the inscriptions into the black rock. There also are plans, yet to be firmed up, to sell a limited number of memorial stones to be placed at the foot of the curved monument.

Overall the memorial, as Mace designed, it will be 27 feet wide and 23 feet deep. It will be located on the southwest corner of Route 66 Milan's main street and Horizon Boulevard, which is Exit 79 on Interstate 40. It will be placed within the state highway right-of-way, once the New Mexico Transportation Department grants an encroachment permit. Sheldrick said that is in the process of being done. The site is immediately east of the Chaco Canyon Trading Company.

Anyone wanting to donate to the needed $40,000 (minimum) to pay for the memorial may send their donations to:

Cibola-Milan Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 2296, Milan, N.M., 87021.