Veterans memorial under construction at local cemetery

LEWISVILLE – A new veterans memorial in the works in Lewisville will recognize more than 400 people.

The Lewisville Veterans Memorial Monument is under construction at the Lewisville Cemetery northwest of Rigby. The $25,000 project is being funded by donations and will include two 4-foot-by-5-foot engraved stone monuments with a custom-made bell in the center. Four stone benches will be placed around the perimeter, and there will be a large flag pole with solar lighting.

The project is slated for completion next month and will be dedicated on Memorial Day weekend.

Janeal Nield, chair of the Lewisville Veterans Foundation — the nonprofit collecting donations for the project — began working on this last fall. She and seven others on the committee are involved in the effort.

Nield tells EastIdahoNews.com the oldest veterans listed on the monument were part of the Mormon Battalion during the 1840s. It will also include veterans of the Civil War, both world wars, Vietnam and the War on Terror.

“There’s a lot of history in this cemetery. That’s why we’re so excited about this project,” Nield says.

Some of the names on the monument will include Nield’s father, grandfather and brother. Her father, Neal Erickson, served in World War II. She says he rarely spoke about his military service, but she shared a few details she knew about.

“He was on a minesweeper (in the Pacific Ocean) for the Navy,” Nield recalls. “They would sweep mines so other ships could come through.”

Minesweepers helped clear a path through minefields to protect other ships from the explosive devices, according to Britannica. Often, two ships would tow a wire rope between them to pull up mines from the water. They’d cut the lines and detonate the mines with gunfire. Some of the minesweepers had generators that could trigger a detonation through a magnetic pulse.

George Ellsworth, a member of the committee, has many relatives buried in the cemetery, some of whom are veterans. He has a few personal recollections of the area’s role in previous wars.

He referenced an old sugar beet cellar on 3500 East near Jefferson High School in Lewisville where he stores farm equipment. It once housed German POWs during World War II.

As a student at Rigby High School during the 1970s, he recalls going with the school band to Idaho Falls Regional Airport to welcome home a group of Vietnam veterans.

“The 116th from Rigby didn’t come in on the first planes. Their plane broke down or something, and they came in around 10 or 11:00 at night. We went back again to honor those veterans coming home,” Ellsworth says.

He says this community has always honored veterans and the time is right to have a permanent monument to ensure future generations remember their sacrifice.

“It’s because of them that we enjoy the freedoms that we have today,” he says. “We just felt like now was the time to honor them.”

Locals have supported the effort since it launched. Ellsworth says money started rolling in when they started and people out of state often call to see how they can help.

Local businesses have gotten involved as well. Murdoch Memorials, a monument company in Idaho Falls, is providing the engravings and installation of the monument. Doug Adams is the artist constructing the bell that will be placed in the center.

They appreciate everyone’s support and invite the community to the dedication ceremony on May 24 at 10 a.m.

Donations are still being accepted through the Lewisville Veterans Foundation on Venmo.

Our attorneys tell us we need to put this disclaimer in stories involving fundraisers: EastIdahoNews.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries.

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