Veterans’ Wall to be dedicated in Redmond

The veterans of Central Oregon will be honored with the dedication of a Veterans’ Wall & Garden being created at the Hospice of Redmond. The dedication ceremony will take place on Veteran’s Day, November 11 th .

When completed, the wall will be covered with the names of Central Oregon veterans, both living and dead, from all branches of the military.

“We want to honor those Central Oregon men and women who have served their country,” states Ernie Tafalla, Hospice Chaplain and veteran Marine.

Redmond Mayor George Endicott, a veteran, will be the Master of Ceremony for the event. Redmond High School Marine Corp Junior ROTC will raise the flags which will continuously fly over the Wall. Also present will be the VFW/American Legion Rifle Squad, bagpiper Dave Brock, and bugler Gary Dotson.

Robert D. Maxwell, the only living Medal of Honor recipient in Oregon and the oldest in the nation, will be a special guest speaker at the ceremony. Maxwell, as former US Army soldier, served in the North African and the Italian Campaigns. He received the US military’s highest decoration for his heroic actions on September 7, 1944 near Besancon, France.

A “wire man,” Maxwell strung phone lines from an observation post to the command post and was armed only with .45 caliber handguns. He defended his post and his comrades by throwing himself on a hand grenade thrown in the midst of his squad by the enemy.

The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony, to be held from 3:30 pm-4:30 pm at the Veterans’ Wall & Garden site on the grounds of Hospice, 732 SW 23 rd Street in Redmond.

The Wall and garden are being made possible by a bequest given to Hospice of Redmond. It was built by B&M Construction with design assistance by George McCart.

Any veteran or veteran’s loved one can submit a name to be included on the Wall. For more information, call 541-548-7483.