By Lauren Lifke
Moriarty community members gathered at the City Park veteran’s memorial on Nov. 11 as part of the annual Veterans’ Day Service to honor veterans and their families for the annual holiday.
Leaders from the city council and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3350 provided updates on the Veterans Memorial Wall, recognized veterans in the audience, and read prayers, historical readings, and tributes to families.
Moriarty Fire Chief Todd Hart, who leads the monument committee, gave an update on the local veterans’ monument during the ceremony. He described the project, originally championed by resident Sherry Anaya, as a dream that had been in the making for over a decade. Chief Hart explained that the monument’s wall is currently being constructed to comply with Department of Defense (DOD) specifications.
“The wall was a dream of a local woman over a decade ago,” Hart said. “Through the last couple of years, we’ve had our ups and downs.”
Isaac Chavez, a student from Estancia Valley Middle School, opened the service with a speech about the history and significance of Veterans Day.
“Veterans Day isn’t just a day for veterans — it’s a day for all Americans,” the student said. “It’s a day to remember why they are fighting, and a day for us all to begin our journey for protecting our freedom and the freedom of many future generations.”
The wall has been seeing ongoing changes, including adding names to the wall. Veterans are invited to have their names recognized in the community, organizers said, and there will be 69 new names on the monument within the next two months.
City Councilors have discussed funding at recent meetings, and the community is welcome to donate. Those who wish to donate to the monument can do so at City Hall by talking to Administrative Secretary Jeanette Hendricks.
