Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial is a public memorial in the Town of Tonawanda , New York . It is located in Walter M . Kenney Field at the northwest corner of Brighton Road and Colvin Boulevard . The memorial stands to honor the service of all veterans of the United States Armed Forces . Initial construction of the memorial took roughly seven weeks and was completed in mid - August 2009 . The memorial was formally dedicated on August 18 , 2009 before a crowd of more than 1 , 500 people . Retired U . S . Army General and former U . S . Secretary of State Colin L . Powell delivered the keynote address . A crowd of several hundred people gathered one year later , on August 18 , 2010 , for a re - dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of a major expansion effort necessitated by the popularity of the memorial among interested donors . The focal point of the memorial is a seven - foot - tall V - shaped monument of Paradiso granite , standing for " Veterans " . The monument was designed specifically for the memorial in 2007 by artist and Vietnam War veteran Ralph Sirianni . Sirianni ' s original sketch of the monument was featured on donation pamphlets distributed to residents of the Town of Tonawanda and did not depict the memorial wall or elevated landscape . Architectural firm Carmina , Wood & Morris designed the memorial and surrounding landscape , incorporating Sirianni ' s monument as the centerpiece . Granite plaques engraved with the names of local veterans hang on two angled , semicircular walls . One wall partially surrounds the granite monument , while a second wall , constructed a year after the first , wraps around the reverse of the memorial ' s elevated platform . The site also features seven flagpoles , one flying the flag of the United States and the POW / MIA flag , and six others displaying the flags of the U . S . Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , Coast Guard , and Merchant Marine . The memorial is surrounded by several trees and numerous park benches . Each tree and park bench bears a bronze plaque inscribed with the names of veterans , community organizations , or local businesses on whose behalf financial contributions were made to fund the memorial ' s construction . Adjacent to the memorial is a Korean War - era Grumman F9F - 6P Cougar Naval airframe , on loan to the Town of Tonawanda from the U . S . government . The airframe was installed at its current location in May 1959 and is a well - known landmark in the community . History . Background . The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial project began in 2004 as a grassroots effort to establish a permanent site in the town for residents to gather and pay tribute to their relatives , friends , and fellow Americans who have served or currently serve in the U . S . Military . In 2007 , the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial Steering Committee was established to see the project through to completion . By the spring of 2009 , the committee had reached its funding goal to cover the cost of construction and the project was ready to be put out to bid . The Tonawanda Town Board agreed to designate space for the memorial at Walter M . Kenney Field and fully manage its construction . The project was put out to bid three times before an offer was returned within the range that the committee could afford . With a construction contractor confirmed , the memorial steering committee held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 22 , 2009 at what was to be the future site of the memorial . The " Blue Jet " . Walter M . Kenney Field was the chosen location for the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial for its high visibility from nearby roads , ease of access for pedestrians , and for its historical significance as the longtime home of a Korean War - era Grumman F9F - 6P Cougar Naval airframe , on loan to the town from the U . S . government . The " blue jet , " as it is often called , has been on loan to the town from the U . S . government since May 1959 . Today , the memorial sits directly behind the F9F - 6P airframe . During the construction of the memorial , a local auto collision business volunteered to refurbish the F9F - 6P airframe . To refurbish the aluminum structure , volunteers removed all old paint , pounded out dents , filled in cracks and gaps , repainted all surfaces , and applied decals to the fuselage and wings . The entire process took roughly three weeks to complete . Since its installation , the F9F - 6P airframe had been used as a piece of playground equipment by local children . However , in February 2009 , town government officials received paperwork from the National Museum of Naval Aviation requesting that the town take full responsibility for the loaned airframe ' s upkeep and make an effort to prevent people from climbing on its wings and fuselage . In response to this request , the town initially installed signage asking visitors to refrain from climbing on the airframe . However , the damage continued . Less than a year later , volunteers once again took to repairing the airframe , after which the town installed a four - foot high wrought - iron fence around the long - standing community icon . Dedication Ceremony . The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial was unveiled to the public in a dedication ceremony the afternoon of Tuesday , August 18 , 2009 . The Tuesday date was chosen to accommodate the event ' s keynote speaker , Colin Powell , who was scheduled to visit the area for a separate event in nearby Buffalo , New York later that same day . Powell is connected to the Town of Tonawanda through his sister and brother - in - law , who were once residents of the town . Over 1 , 500 people convened on Walter M . Kenney Field to witness the ceremony , including area residents , public officials , active military personnel , veterans organizations , and members of the Patriot Guard Riders . Invitations had been sent to those that made financial contributions to fund the memorial , but the event was open to the public and received significant media attention in anticipation of Powell ' s address . The ceremony featured multiple military , veteran , and police honor guards , a flag raising ceremony , several speeches , and the unveiling of the memorial ' s V - shaped granite monument . In addition , a member of the memorial steering committee read a letter from U . S . President Barack Obama written to the people of the Town of Tonawanda in recognition of the day ' s dedication ceremony . In his keynote address , Powell spoke of the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial as a symbolic gesture of thanks to the military veterans it represents , and as a tool to educate youth on the meaning of military service . He stressed the role of young people in society and acknowledged that it was a teenage Town of Tonawanda resident that initiated the grassroots effort to build the memorial , saying that " sometimes it is the youngest people in our community who understand what ' s important . " Powell further remarked that the memorial ' s location , in a public park and adjacent to a playground , means that it will be readily visible to local children and that " it will speak to them silently , but powerfully . " He also discussed his appreciation of military service throughout the history of the U . S . and of his own military service , including his time leading the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Powell ended his speech on the topic of government policies aimed at providing services to military veterans , including health care and other benefits . On this , Powell said that offering those services to military veterans is as much a symbol of thanks as a memorial built in their honor . Memorial Expansion . At the time of its dedication , the memorial listed the names of nearly 500 local military veterans categorized according to their branch of service across 12 granite plaques mounted to the memorial wall . The wall itself was designed to accommodate a total of 1 , 000 names , with the expectation that names beyond the first 500 would be added to the wall over a period of years following construction . However , it was just months after the dedication ceremony that the wall reached capacity . By the end of 2009 , more names had been submitted for engraving than could be accommodated on the original wall . In light of this , the Town of Tonawanda chose to initiate a second phase of construction to expand the memorial . That expansion took the form of a semicircular wall surrounding the back side of the existing memorial , adding space for up to 2 , 500 additional names across 30 new granite plaques . Construction began in the spring of 2010 with workers carefully orchestrating the installation of the new wall around existing memorial fixtures . Work on the second wall finished in time for the town to host a re - dedication ceremony one year after the first , on August 18 , 2010 .