About three-quarters of the funds needed to erect a veterans monument in Palmerton have been secured.

George's Plumbing & Heating of Palmerton recently donated $1,000 to the Palmerton United Veteran's Organization."It just shows that it's real; that it's going to happen," said Ed Moyer, commander of American Legion Post 269 in Palmerton said. "It's making the veterans monument possible."It was also noted by PUVO member Bruce Reiner that Carolee and Damond Pascoe, the owners of Pubster's Pub & Grub of Palmerton, also recently donated $700 to the PUVO in support of the monument.To date, $91,300 of the expected $123,000 cost has been raised, Moyer said. An additional $10,000 in grant money could also be received after the Corbett administration approved $48 million for local projects sought by specific lawmakers popularly known as WAMs, for "walking around money."The PUVO and the borough plan to build the memorial to honor all of the Palmerton area servicemen and women as a tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and to those who served to preserve our freedom.The memorial will include names of veterans from the American Revolutionary Era to the present a span of over 230 years who either entered the service while a resident of the Palmerton area, or who have lived in the area at least half of their adult life.It will be dedicated on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, to mark the 100-year celebration of the borough.A series of meetings produced a draft drawing. The centerpiece was donated by Richard Nothstein, a borough council member who spearheaded the project.The centerpiece is a sculpture entitled "Some Gave All," and depicts a gun and helmet. The sculpture will be surrounded by a wide walkway and standing stones with the names of veterans.Those who were killed in action will be named on the base of the sculpture. To qualify, veterans need not have seen action. Peacetime veterans will also be honored.The memorial will be located on a section of land 35 feet by 40 feet in size in the lower southwest corner of the borough park, where the present flagpole is situated, and will include a list of all veterans' names on granite monuments from all time periods of service.The sculpture - one of 10 created depicting the gun and helmet - will consist of between 30 and 40 slabs of granite and contain the names of about 200 veterans per slab engraved on the granite. It was made by James N. Mur of Sedona, Ariz., who sent a plaque to Nothstein that told about the sculpture's beginnings. A poem by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell on one side of the base was written for soldiers killed in a battle in Vietnam.Opportunities to say thank you to veterans can be made by a listing on the granite wall individual or family name for a $500 donation, and a corporate or business name for $750.Walkway opportunities include a 10-inch by 14-inch granite block for $200, and can include a military emblem; a 6-inch by 9-inch paver for $50; or a 4-inch by 8-inch paver for $40.The necessary information should include the individual's name, branch of service, dates of service, rank, date of birth, residence at time of induction, and years living in the Palmerton area.The information should be sent to the Palmerton Legion, P.O. Box 84 Palmerton, PA 18071, or Palmerton VFW, 2020 Forest Inn Road, Palmerton, PA 18071.Moyer said information about the memorial can be viewed on Facebook, under Palmerton Area Servicemen and Women Memorial, and on palmertonuvo.org.Anyone with questions, or those who want to submit the information, may contact Uhnak at (610) 826-2902 or at

onlyelvs@ptd.net; Moyer at (610) 504-6680 or

tecked@ptd.net; or Nothstein at (610) 826-7339 or

dnd1@ptd.net.