Leesburg Florida to honor veterans on large scale

Leesburg to honor veterans on large scale
Amy C. Rippel | Special to the Sentinel
October 22, 2008
LEESBURG - It's envisioned as a tribute to Lake County's veterans, the likes of which has never been seen in this area.

At about 7 feet tall and a colossal 2,800 square feet, the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park is poised to be one of the largest veterans monuments in the Southeast.

They've got the land, the plans and the ambition. Now all organizers need is the money to get it built. But even that, when charitable dollars are hard to come by, isn't worrisome to the war veterans putting this together.

Don Van Beck, a Tavares resident and Korean War veteran, said he knows the local community will quickly donate the estimated $525,000 needed to build the granite structure. Organizers expect it will be completed by November 2009.


"It's really just a monument for all of the people who served," Van Beck said. "This is something that will go on forever."

Plans for the memorial have quietly been in the works for about three months. Van Beck, 80, said he and fellow members of the Lake County Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 169 in Leesburg initially decided to make a memorial for Korean War veterans. After more brainstorming, the group decided the memorial should commemorate all veterans.