LEBANON - Warren County could soon have not one, but three, new memorials to those who have fought for America.

        Ground was broken this week on a county-sponsored memorial, while groups in Mason and Deerfield Township are raising money for memorials in their respective communities.

        “I think we can't do enough to honor our veterans,” said Mason Councilman Pete Beck, an organizer of the city's effort.

        “These young men and women unselfishly went in defense of our country and a lot of them lost their lives, and this is the least we can do.”

        The county's Veterans Service Commission is leading a drive to put a memorial at Warren and High streets in Lebanon, replacing one at Warren and East streets that's in disrepair, Service Officer Bill Morris said.

        The plan is for a 70-foot by 70-foot park with a bronze sculpture of a kneeling soldier, “Tears from a Grateful Heart,” created by Scott Stearman.

        The area will be surrounded by a 4-foot wall and plantings, Mr. Morris said, and include the U.S. flag as well as flags representing the military branches.

        An inscription will read “All gave some and some gave all” - a phrase from a Billy Ray Cyrus song.

        “We wanted something serene - where (visitors) could sit and reflect,” said Jake Jones, chairman of the memorial committee.

        The memorial is expected to cost up to $90,000, $50,000 of which is coming from the county commissioners, according to Mr. Jones, who is also director of the county's building services department. Organizers hope to finish the memorial in time to dedicate it on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

        Planning for the memorial began early this year after several years of talking about it, Mr. Morris said. Deerfield, too, began plans to erect a memorial after the Sept. 11 attacks, which have inspired an outpouring of support for U.S. troops as well as emergency workers.

        The Deerfield Township memorial has not been designed yet, trustee Bill Morand said, but it will go in the northwest corner of Cottell Park. The group planning that memorial hopes to complete it by the 4th of July, but that's tentative, Mr. Morand said.

        Mason's memorial will be the most elaborate, expected to cost $1.5 million in materials and labor. Much of that will be donated, but organizers must raise $600,000.

        Mr. Beck said $74,000 has been collected through brick sales and other fund-raisers, and they will soon begin soliciting corporate donations. They also are selling $50 raffle tickets for a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer, with the winner being drawn at the Heritage Festival on Aug. 24.

        To purchase tickets, call 398-8010.

        The monument will have a waterfall and markers of different heights to signify the numbers of Americans killed in different conflicts.

        It will be a place not only to reflect, but also for future generations to learn about the past, Mr. Beck said.

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