Whitnall Student Mitchell McGlinn's War Memorial Dedicated This Weekend

A fundraising effort spearheaded by a World War II veteran and a 15-year-old Eagle Scout and Whitnall High School student will culminate with a dedication ceremony at the stunning new Veterans Memorial in Hales Corners Park at 116th Street and Janesville Road this weekend.

Thanks in large part to Mitchell McGlinn, a sophomore at WHS, the Hales Corners Veteran’s Memorial Committee raised $200,000 for the five-pointed star memorial, honoring the five branches of the United States military: Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force. The memorial is now complete and lined with memorial bricks of loved ones dating back to the Civil War to present day.

"We chose this weekend so that families could gather together on a holiday to pay tribute to our fallen and the active duty men and women who serve to protect our freedom," Howard Hingiss, World War II veteran and retired Hales Corners Police Captain and co-chair of the Veterans Memorial Committee said in a statement. "It will be a joyous celebration with inspiring music and invocations and a party for the community that has made all of this possible."

Festivities will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 27, with a performance by solo artist Julie Ruka until 2 p.m. The Dedication Ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. with the Whitnall High School choir singing the National Anthem, followed by a military flyover of EAA Warbirds, WWII fighter planes.

Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, commander of the Wisconsin National Guard and Wisconsin's highest-ranking officer, will be a guest speaker.

Organized by the Hales Corners American Post Legion 299 and VFW 10394, the ceremony will include a flag raising by the Honor Guard, a 21-gun salute and a re-dedication of the rock that was placed at Hales Corners Elementary School on Arbor Day in 1946 to honor those who served during WWII. The rock has been carefully moved and placed at the Veterans Memorial.

Additional speakers include: co-chairs Hingiss and McGlinn, Joe Huber and Harold Bolstad from the Veterans Memorial Committee, Mark Herr, partner from Plunkett Raysich Architects and Village Trustee Don Schwartz.

Plunkett Raysich Architects is the Milwaukee architectural firm that designed the Veterans Memorial. Each of the memorial's five-pointed stars are equally placed in a circle so that no military branch can be viewed above another and to represent the responsibilities of each branch to work together to serve and protect. The five points of the star reach outward with five paths that connect to nature and other points of interest within the park, including the library and pool.

At the center of the memorial is a lighted U.S. flag on its own white plinth. Brickwork encircles this plinth. Families and other groups can remember and honor veterans for their military service by purchasing a brick and having it inscribed with the names of loved ones. The tribute bricks can be purchased for as little as $100 and up to $5,000. The bricks are periodically installed in the spring and fall. More than 600 bricks are currently in place.

Members of the Wounded Warriors Project and the Patriot Guard Riders will also be in attendance. Immediately following the dedication, food and beer will be served, followed by entertainment by one of Wisconsin's best country music bands, Geoff Landon and the Wolfpack, from 4-8 p.m.