XENIA, Ohio (Tribune News Service) — A new memorial honoring veterans from across the county is coming to the Greene County Courthouse in Xenia.

The hexagon-shaped plaza will be constructed around the existing flagpole on the south lawn of the courthouse, at the corner of Main and Detroit streets. Vertical granite monuments will pay tribute to members of the six branches of the military: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

The memorial will honor all Greene County citizens who honorably served in the United States Armed Forces regardless of whether they served in war or peacetime, stateside or overseas, or whether they hail from a major city or a small town, said Tim Spradlin, Greene County Veterans Memorial Fund committee chair.

"There's a lot more to military service than combat, and we want to honor all of that," he said.

The memorial has been nearly 10 years in the making, Spradlin said.

"This is where we always wanted it. At the county seat, and to become a hub for all kinds of other events in the future," he said.

Greene County commissioners approved the site Thursday and will dedicate $25,000 toward its construction. The commissioners will also put matching amounts towards planned veterans' memorials in Xenia, Fairborn and Sugarcreek Twp., funded through the county's American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

"We're going to make this happen," said commissioner Tom Koogler. "We're excited about it. It's another feature for downtown Xenia, and we keep doing more and more things for development and making a better community."

"It was a no-brainer," commissioner Rick Perales said of approving the committee's request. "Our military history is very important to us. We just look forward to when we're done with this and we can start celebrating military events and holidays there. It's going to be wonderful."

The project is funded primarily through donations, and early construction estimates are about $500,000. Local contractors, including Dodd's Memorials of Xenia, will do the design and installation work.

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