Veterans Tribute Tower Bell Dedicated, with Fanfare

By Desiree Parker Saturday, November 12, 2011

Knights of Columbus prepare for the Advance of Colors.

“This is a time to have a real tribute… honoring our veterans past, present and future,” Walters said.

The Ohio-based Verdin Company, established in 1842, has a mobile foundry that travels to locations around the country to cast bells. David Verdin said Friday that he intends to see two bells cast in each state, with the hopes that someday there will be 100 of them scattered across the country to serve as monuments to veterans.

This newest tribute tower will join four others that have been erected across the country to honor men and women of the Armed Forces. Last year, a tower was installed in Ogden, Utah, during 2010 Veterans Day ceremonies.

Verdin said the bell that his company just completed for New Town was the first bell to be cast in Virginia, and it was completed in only two days. “It’s one of the proudest moments in our company,” he said.

The bell was cast with the participation of dozens of local students, who had a chance to place bronze ingots in the pot of material used to create the piece. Two Iwo Jima veterans were on hand Thursday, too, to add some grains of sand from the battle site. See a WYDaily video on that ceremony here.

Though the bell was cast in just a few days, “it will remain for hundreds of years” for people to appreciate, Verdin said.

The dedication ceremony Friday included performances by the Williamsburg Pipes and Drums and the Toano Saxophone Ensemble as well as solo performances of patriotic songs by Alberta Faber, Ben Machinist, Gayla Johnson, Roseanne Brennan and Ray Gresham.

The Advance of Colors and the Retire of Colors were carried out by various veterans’ organizations, the Knights of Columbus and William and Mary’s Queens Guard.

Several James City County officials were on hand to view the dedication, including Board of Supervisors Chairman Mary Jones and board members John McGlennon and Bruce Goodson, as well as County Administrator Robert Middaugh.

Walters envisions the weekend’s activities as just the beginning, as his non-profit intends to establish a community reintegration project to help returning Reserve and National Guard troops get the support they need when they get home (read more about this program here and on the organization’s website).

The weekend’s festivities continue Saturday with The Army’s Old Guard’s Fife and Drum Corps & Coast Guard’s Silent Drill Team, which will perform at 8:45 a.m. in a special public performance. Afterwards the Veteran’s Tribute Parade will roll through the streets of New Town.

Parade participants include members of the ROTC, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserves; along with Color Guards, Old Guard’s (President’s Own) and Colonial Williamsburg’s Fifes and Drums Corps, VFW, American Legion, Disabled Veterans and other patriotic organizations. There will also be a fly-over from vintage aircraft.

New Town shops are hosting a Taste of New Town for Veterans and a musical Tribute to the Troops after the parade, and the evening will finish off with fireworks by Pyrotechnico, the company that does Busch Gardens’ fireworks.