‘Goosebumps and tears’ as Gordon dedicates veterans memorial

GORDON, Neb. - A memorial along Highway 20 in Gordon is now honoring hundreds of Nebraska veterans.

On Friday, the Veterans Memorial Park was officially dedicated, with dozens of people from across the region attending the ceremony.

Among them was Connie Nelson of Sioux Falls, who came because both her father and her son are memorialized on the park’s walls. Their names are two of the more than 700 etched into stone. Nelson’s father served in the Air Force in the 1950s, while her son joined the military after the September 11th attacks and later served in Iraq.

“I cried. I cried. There was nothing I could really say to dissuade him, but I’m proud of him. I’m proud of what he did,” Nelson said.

Veterans like her father and son are exactly who Casey Walton of the Sons of the American Legion had in mind when he spearheaded the park’s expansion. When he first discussed the project with News Channel Nebraska last year, his goal was to honor 270 veterans.

“The response we got was so big that we decided to add some pillars. The pillars that we added are the four pillars of the American Legion,” Walton said.

The memorial now features a variety of tributes, including a list of all Sheridan County veterans who died in service and the names of every Nebraska Medal of Honor recipient.

“There’s a lot of history and a lot of education here. Hopefully a lot of younger people will stop and learn a little bit from this memorial,” said James Costello, a member of the National American Legion Executive Committee.

Helen McQuiston of Evanston, Wyoming, also attended the dedication. Her late husband, who was injured in Vietnam, is honored on the wall.

“Goosebumps and tears,” McQuiston said. “A lot of soldiers when they came back were not honored, and still are not honored. That’s why it gave me goosebumps.”

The memorial now stands as both a tribute to Nebraska veterans and a reminder for travelers along Highway 20 to pause, reflect, and remember.