Yelm mayor apologizes after removal of veterans memorial; city pledges temporary reinstallation

Mayor DePinto apologized Tuesday evening for the unannounced removal and storage of the veterans memorial at Yelm City Park and said the city will work with local veterans groups to return the bricks and restore the monument until a new memorial is ready.

"As the mayor of Yelm, I wanna offer my heartfelt apology regarding the recent removal and storage of the memorial at Yelm City Park," DePinto said, adding the city will "meet immediately with the leaders of the local VFW and the American Legion" and pursue a decommissioning process that includes veterans' input.

The mayor said the original memorial was constructed in February 2006 and that much of it was damaged in a 2017 accident. The city purchased property next to Mill Pond in 2023 for a new veterans memorial and had planned to build in phases, with the first phase opening next year. DePinto said the bricks were removed sooner than anticipated because construction of a nearby park feature required work in the same area. "All the bricks were saved minus 3, which were damaged in removal," he said, and the city intends to clean, restore and, where necessary, replace damaged bricks. He said the city hopes to have the bricks and monument in place for Memorial Day and will coordinate the relocation and decommissioning with veterans groups.

Speakers at public comment described the memorial's personal importance and urged prompt, transparent action. John Thompson, a former planning commissioner, said many families travel to Yelm to visit bricks placed in memory of loved ones and warned of the harm caused if families arrive to find bricks missing: "That family may be bringing a whole family in on Memorial Day to come to this brick because they can't go to Arlington. And if they found that brick missing, it would be just like walking out to your mother's grave and found the tombstone had been stolen." Steven Slater, commander of Nisqually Valley Post 5580 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said he was "in shock" when he learned of the removal and called on the council to "take immediate action to replace the memorial until such time as it can be properly relocated with the proper honors and respect the lives of those who sacrificed deserves." Theresa Williams and other residents recounted personal ties to the memorial; Kayla Russell (speaking remotely) urged a subcommittee including veterans to speed restoration, saying, "I'm really excited that we are gonna change course and make the memorial temporary as soon as possible."

Council members and staff responded during the meeting that they would reach out immediately to veteran leaders to resolve the situation and to work toward restoration and a formal decommissioning process that reflects veterans' preferences. The city said it will reinstall the bricks and the monument at the original site until the new Mill Pond memorial is ready and will replace bricks broken in removal or previously damaged in the 2017 crash.

The public comments and the mayor's apology occurred during the public-comment portion of the April 22 meeting; no formal council action or vote on the memorial occurred that night. City staff and the mayor said they will hold meetings with the VFW and American Legion to determine next steps and to seek veteran-led input on the new memorial's design and timeline.

For context, the memorial's removal accelerated an already planned relocation tied to construction at Yelm City Park and to the city's previously approved plan to build a new veterans memorial adjacent to Mill Pond. The mayor described an intent to complete a temporary reinstall and cleanup before Memorial Day and to pursue a careful, veteran-led decommissioning and permanent installation at the newly purchased site.

The council took no formal vote on the memorial during this session; several subsequent staff and committee reports referenced seeking grants and support to advance a full veterans memorial project.