The story behind a WWII memorial in Menomonee Falls, WI

[Paschale]

A coworker of mine grew up in the village of Menomonee Falls, WI.  His father was a veteran of WWII, and an accomplished artist.  My friend has a wealth of materials from his father, ranging from letters home, to official military documents and medals, photos, etc.  His most cherished possessions, however, are the many pen and ink drawings and paintings done at the different bases where his father was stationed.  He's brought many of them in to work, and they're remarkably good.  His father always had a sketch book with him, and my favorites were the ones done in Japan. 

Upon his return back home to Menomonee Falls, he and the other veterans in town, along with the rest of the village, decided that a monument to those fallen in WWII should be erected to commemorate the lives of those men who gave their lives for their country.  A fundraising effort ensued, and my friend's father was asked to design and conceive a memorial. 

The community rallied around the idea, and raised enough funds to make the vision a reality.  It was a massive concrete monolith, with a bronze statue of a rifle and helmet, with a plaque on the side, all designed by my friend's father.  It was dedicated in 1947, and all of the funds were paid by the village citizens, including the cost of the bronze casting.  The veterans themselves built the monument, and then presented it as a gift to the village.

Just recently, my friend's mother ran across a painting that his dad made of the monument, and he brought it in to work today. 

The monument has suffered some ignoble abuse.  Somewhere along the way, someone stole the bronze casting from on top of the memorial, and now a solitary flagpole stands in it's place.  It's been the victim of graffiti as well, and unfortunately, the concrete has been allowed to crack in places.  Over the years, a few more plaques have been placed, one each for Vietnam and Korea, which is a good thing, but the most recent plaque was simply made out of routed plastic that was shoddily riveted onto the side. 

This all makes my friend and his family sick, and they're on a quest to try and restore the monument, or at least initiate the beginnings of a movement in the village to do this. 

He mentioned that he's trying to find out a place that does bronze castings, to see if the statue atop the memorial could ultimately be replaced, and I was hoping with all of the varied knowledge that exists on the forum, I was hoping that someone would be able to have some information for me.

It's sad, since this is the only veterans memorial in the village of Menomonee Falls.  As my friend said today, this seems to be what happens far too often.  He mentioned how he sees bumper stickers all over the place that say, "Support Our Troops," but as time passes, people simply forget the sacrifices that are made by the men and women who serve.  It was a reminder to me to remember to be grateful to all those who have served, or who continue to serve.

I'll try and post a picture of the painting later, and he said he'd send me a few pictures of the monument as well.