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The Military Park Partnership has launched a fundraising campaign to restore four monuments in Military Park, including the War of Words statue. 

(Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)



NEWARK — Military park organizers are hoping to give a few pieces of history a much-needed makeover. 

The Military Park Partnership has launched an adopt-a-monument fundraising program to restore four of Military Park's monuments, which hail from the 19th and 20th centuries. 

"These are important pieces of public art," said Ben Donsky, vice president of the Military Park Partnership, which oversees the park's operations. " There is real merit in each of them." 

Among the most famous is the Wars of America monument by Gutzon Borglum, the same sculptor who molded Mount Rushmore. 

The 1920 bronze statue depicts two horses and 42 figures holding weapons, which celebrates the United States' participation in the Revolutionary War, Civil War and World War I.

"It communicates complex ideas about war and its impact not just on individuals but on society," said Donsky. 

But the monument has seen better days since it first opened to the public in 1926. 

The supporting structure under the statue needs to be replaced.  Pieces such as bayonets and swords that have disappeared over the years need to be added again. 

Finally, the bronze statue will have to go through several rounds of chemical treatments to be restored to its original shine, Donsky said. 

"'Wars of America' is the most important sculpture in the park," said Donsky. " It also needs the most work." 

The other statutes need sprucing up, too, including the John F Kennedy Monument, the Major General Phillip Kearny Monument and the Frederick T. Frelinghuysen Monument, brought to the park in 1965, 1880 and 1894, respectively. 

Each of those statues will need to be cleaned and undergo a series of chemical treatments. 

The Adopt-a Monument Program hopes to raise about $800,000 to restore the monuments by the end of 2016.  The campaign starts less than a month after the Military Park Partnership unveiled its multimillion-dollar renovation of the park. 

"Military park has a long interesting and distinguished history.,"  Donsky said. " These sculptures are great tools for us to interpret that history for the public." 

To contribute to the campaign, contact the Military Park Partnership at www.militarypark.com/ or call 973-900-5800. 

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