Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARAGONAH, Iron County — It has seemed like the town you drive through, not to. But after a special celebration in Paragonah Saturday, folks just might want to stop and see the new Veterans War Memorial.
Resident Claude Jones served in the Vietnam War. Now his name is among all the others engraved on the memorial.
“This is an honor to be able to come out here and do this, to shoot rifles,” Jones said. “It’s not a duty; it’s an honor and a privilege that we accept and try to do for all veterans.”
Of course some might wonder how a town with less than 500 people has a memorial that includes many residents — 213 to be exact. William Johnson, a Korean War veteran, said that's just Paragonah.
“(Our residents) want to preserve our country, and it’s a nice place,” Johnson said.
The Paragonah Civic Committee has held bake sales and raffles to raise the $22,000 needed for the memorial. It's something they felt like they had to do, according to committee member Kaye LeFevre.
“Word’s can’t express how I feel,” LeFevre said Saturday. “Proud is the word that comes first — very proud of a community that would come together to build this.”
Those who died serving in the military are memorialized in a special way.
“The six people that are on that plaque, that gave their lives, two of them were my good friends,” Jones said.
Of course Paragonah isn't the only town in Utah with a veterans war memorial, but there aren't too many with the large service record this one has.
“This one is just another special day that we’ll all remember,” Jones said.
