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Excavation begins for Joe Mann Memorial

New veteran's memorial honors heroes

REARDAN – After seven years of dreaming, planning and fundraising, Gail Daniel's and Wayne Terry's vision of building a memorial to honor the life of Joe E. Mann and the veterans of the Reardan area is becoming a reality.

The groundbreaking for the memorial was Monday, Jan. 27, at the site on Highway 2, at the east end of town.

Over the years, Terry, a local wrestling coach and member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, spoke of Mann's sacrifice to his athletes.

"I always wondered why Joe Mann was not honored in his hometown," Terry said.

One day, he mentioned it to Daniels and the dream of a memorial was born.

In 2018, Daniels and Terry formed the Reardan Heroes, a non-profit organization, to honor local heroes. In May 2023, the Reardan-Edwall School District transferred six acres of land for the $2 million memorial and amphitheater.

Donations and business sponsors fund the memorial.

Besides having an amphitheater, it will have a water feature, an eternal flame and a walkway with the names of area veterans.

The Wm. Winkler Company, which donated its equipment, labor and time, is doing the excavation.

"We are grateful to Brian Winkler for his leadership on this project," Terry said.

Daniels expects the parking lot and bathrooms to be finished this spring and the rest of the project to be completed in the summer of 2026.

Mann, a 1941 graduate of Reardan High School, was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division who, in an act of self-sacrifice, threw his body on a grenade to save the lives of six soldiers. His act of heroism earned him the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star, and five Purple Hearts. Of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII, 473 earned the MOH. Mann was one of Washington's 21 recipients.

"We are exhilarated to have broken ground," Daniels said. "Getting to this point took a lot of phone calls and perseverance. It is rewarding to see the memorial finally taking shape."

Terry believes Americans need to be grateful to those who fought for their freedom.

"This project is important because there are so many people who take their freedom for granted," Terry said. "This memorial will honor those who fought for it. We want to bring that to the forefront in a way that sets a new paradigm for the way a memorial should be, how its sized and what it represents. Our youth needs this more than ever. We want to make this so visible that they can't ignore it."

Donations to the Reardan Heroes may be sent to P.O. Box 214, Reardan, WA 99029.

 
 

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