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Left: Museum Director John Little, who served in Vietnam, talks about some of the items housed in the museum’s display cases. Above: The walls of the museum are lined with photo- graphs of veterans in uniform. The museum is expanding to accommodate more photographs.


oak, donated by Tommy Maxwell, originally from Warren, who has a hardware store in Monticello. Finally, on the inside, a rail system was developed to allow move- ment of the 8- by 10-inch photo frames, as changes and addi- tions to the gallery were made. On the outside, local volunteers reworked the lot, including the addition of shrubbery, a phase that included help from members of the Warren High School football team. Two local banks each contributed a flagpole to the grounds at 210 N. Main St. It was a project that began in January 2003 and was finished in time for the dedication on Veterans Day, 2005.


ne room features the photographs of those who died in service to the United States. To date, the museum counts 18 making the ultimate sacrifice in World War I; 61 in World War II; five in Korea; five in Vietnam; and one in Afghanistan. In addition to the photo gallery of those who served, the mu- seum maintains a computer database of the military and personal histories of those who served, participates in gathering oral his- tories of veterans and provides the community with appropriate ceremonies and programs each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Little said the volunteers receive some computer assistance from students at Southeast Arkansas Community-Based Education Center (SEACBEC).


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Te building also houses the office of county veterans service officer Dorothy Anders, which has a separate entrance off Veterans Street. A staff of about 10 volunteers keeps the museum open six days a week. “We are the second-largest tourist attraction in the county,” Little said, acknowledging that the most popular attraction is the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival, which occurs each June and this year features entertainment by Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Tunder on June 14.


COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2014 ULTIMATE SACRIFICE “Tis place is something special,” Little said. “We have all kinds


of groups come through here … church groups, members of high school reunions and family reunions. I wish you could see some of the kids that visit. It’s something to see the look on a sixth-grader’s face when they see a picture of their grandfather or of their mother on that wall.” He said occasionally, a family member, upon returning to War-


ren for a visit and going through the museum, will go home and immediately send a photograph of their loved one whose frame was missing a picture. Board members of Bradley County Veterans Inc. meet the sec-


ond Saturday of each month (except for December) in the mu- seum conference room. Te board consists of two members each from the American Legion, VFW and DAV, with the seventh and eighth members appointed by the Bradley County judge (since 2007, Keith Neely). Chairman of the board is Harry Lee “Buddy” McCaskill, the


only World War II veteran on the board. McCaskill was among those members of “the Greatest Generation” who took part May 3 in the final Honor Flight to depart from Arkansas, which took WWII veterans from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport to Washington, D.C., to see the National World War II Memorial. Some of the board members are among the volunteers that keep the place open; others are interested members of the community. Little said the museum has room remaining for the photos of


28 more veterans. Tey expect those to be filled by the end of the summer. Because of the diminishing free space, the group began construction in March on a 36- by 40-foot addition to the build- ing, which will approximately double the facility’s current 2,800 square feet. Funding comes from donations, memorials, grants and fund- raising events sponsored by Bradley County Veterans Inc. Information on the Bradley County Veterans Memorial is avail-


able by calling (870) 226-2329 or going online to www.bradley- countyveterans.org.


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