Construction paper notes decorated in red, white and blue covered the table in a growing stack.
The notes had come from dozens of students at Clark-Pleasant schools. Some were decorated with fireworks and flags colored in marker. Others spelled out HERO in block letters. One featured a drawing of a girl with her arms wide open for a hug, the words “Thank you” above her head.
Despite the different designs and decorations, each card had the same goal: to show some token of appreciation for the county’s military veterans.
For those serving overseas in the military, “mail call” was a chance to connect with loved ones and friends from back home. Organizers of Proctor Park, the county’s only memorial park, want to help recreate that excitement for veterans today.
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People are asked to write general notes of appreciation, which will be distributed to all veterans present at the dedication of Proctor Park’s new World War II Memorial in July.
“It’s a very, very small tribute to say thank you for the freedoms we have and the sacrifices made,” said Maribeth Alspach, New Whiteland clerk treasurer and one of the most active organizers of the park.
Proctor Park features monuments to military veterans, police, firefighters and emergency responders, set among a playground, walking trails and fishing pond.
The park started out as a tribute to Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor, a Whiteland Community High School graduate and former New Whiteland resident. He was serving in Iraq on May 3, 2006, when a dump truck loaded with 350 pounds of explosives breached the wall of his compound. The truck was headed toward the barracks where dozens of soldiers were sleeping. Proctor faced down the truck, firing his weapon into the cab and killing the driver. The truck never reached the barracks, but the explosives it carried detonated, killing Proctor in the process.
New Whiteland and Johnson County mourned his death. Members of the New Whiteland Town Council worked with Proctor’s family on a fitting recognition. After much discussion, it was decided to turn an 11-acre parcel of land off of Tracy Road, which had been donated by a subdivision developer, into a park.
“For me, this is sacred ground,” Alspach said. “I’m proud that is in our town, that we’re the home of this park.”
Frank Vaughn, who spent 39 years in the military, serving in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971, was part of the Proctor Park steering committee from the start.
As a soldier, he made sacrifices serving all over the world in protection of this country.
“It’s hard to explain. You don’t look at it as a sacrifice at the time, because you’re not focused on that. You’re focused on doing your job,” he said. “It’s only after you’re done with it, when you’re retired and can sit back and look at it, that you realize how much of your life it consumed.”
That makes places like Proctor Park important, both for veterans and for the community in general, Vaughn said.
“This park is for Indiana,” he said. “Johnson County doesn’t have anything else like this.”
The World War II Memorial will be the newest addition to the park. Set on a concrete pad overlooking the pond, it offers a contemplative place for veterans and their families to visit.
The memorial will include a monument to the USS Indianapolis, carved in limestone, and a placard explaining the history of the ship.
The idea to do a World War II Memorial came from the need to give veterans of the war and their family members an area where they could reflect, Alspach said.
One aspect organizers wanted to include was a way to thank World War II — and all — veterans through the memorial.
The inspiration for the mail call comes from Alspach’s own experience volunteering for the Indy Honor Flight. The nonprofit organization pays for World War II veterans to take guided trips to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial built to commemorate their service.
On the flight, organizers pass out letters to the World War II veterans taking part, surprising them with notes from their family and friends, as well as from strangers thanking them for their service.
“When they handed out those packages of mail, some of those men openly wept,” Alspach said. “I thought, why couldn’t we do that?”
The goal is to have enough letters to distribute to all veterans, regardless of when they served, gathered for the dedication of the World War II memorial.
Already, students from Clark-Pleasant schools were working on notes and cards before school let out. But Alspach wants to open the project up to everyone who wants to thank a veteran.
“It would be awesome if more than just the school kids, if people wanted to send a thank-you card,” she said.
The dedication ceremony is slated for July 28, and Alspach would like to see the entire community come out in support.
Retired Brig. Gen. J. Stewart Goodwin, executive director of the Indiana War Memorials Commission, is slated to be the keynote speaker for the event. The Whiteland VFW will serve as the honor guard.
A tent with chairs will be set up to provide shade and rest, and Clark-Pleasant schools will provide buses to shuttle people from nearby Break-O-Day Elementary School.
Members of the Whiteland Community High School football team will be helping assist veterans from buses to their chairs.
“It really is a labor of love, a community thank you,” Alspach said.
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New Whiteland officials are collecting letters, notes, cards, photos and shared memories to distribute to local veterans in appreciate for their service. The items are a general thank you for all veterans, and the entire community is invited to help with the effort.
Individuals, families or organizations wishing to drop off items can do so at the New Whiteland town hall, 540 Tracy Road, Suite A.
Town hall hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Items are needed by July 1. The cards and notes will be distributed to veterans present at the dedication of the World War II Memorial at Proctor Park on July 28.
Questions can be directed to Maribeth Alspach, member of the Proctor Park committee, at 317-535-7500 or [email protected].
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