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Guilford County Veterans Memorial readies rededication as renovations add interactive kiosks and a Vietnam‑era Huey
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Summary
Board leaders say the memorial at Country Park will keep its rotunda and granite obelisk while adding touchscreen kiosks, a Vietnam‑era Huey on a pedestal and expanded storytelling; brick purchases ($250) fund nonprofit operations and a rededication is planned for September.
Rosemary Plyben, host of Gate City Insider, spoke with Susan Danielson, chair of the Guilford County Veterans Memorial Board, and Brian Sowers, the board’s vice chair, about renovation work at the memorial in Country Park and plans to expand how visitors experience the site.
Danielson said the memorial — dedicated in September 2002 and containing more than 1,200 personalized brick pavers — is being refurbished but that its central elements will remain. “That rotunda and that obelisk will remain,” Danielson said, adding that the board hopes to hold a rededication this coming September.
Why it matters: the memorial serves as a local, tangible record of service across multiple eras. Danielson noted that the bricks represent veterans from World War I and II through Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War era, Iraq and Afghanistan, and said the board has been expanding the public record by adding online biographies and photos.
How it is funded and how to participate: the board uses brick purchases as a fundraiser. Danielson said the bricks cost $250 each and are tax‑deductible; buyers can provide photos and short biographies that will be linked in an online digital memorial. The program’s website is gcveteransmemorial.org.
New features and artifacts: Sowers described plans to add two touchscreen kiosks that let visitors search individual bricks and pull up stories, and an artifact display that will include a Vietnam‑era Huey helicopter on an 8–10 foot pedestal behind the memorial. “We’re gonna have a real live Huey that flew in Vietnam,” Sowers said, describing the aircraft as a permanent loan from a pilots’ association in North Carolina.
Timing and next steps: Sowers told the host that pedestal construction is scheduled later this month and the board expects to complete visible installation work in time for Memorial Day; staff framed that timeline as aspirational. Danielson described the current site conditions as “mounds of dirt and holes in the ground,” saying they are signs of progress while the rotunda and obelisk stay in place.
Personal connection and outreach: Louis (Lou) Weinstock, introduced as the son of a veteran and a guest on the program, described buying a brick for his World War II physician father as a way to provide a local place for family members to visit and reflect. Danielson and Sowers encouraged visitors to both walk the site and contribute stories online so the memorial’s biographies extend beyond the three lines on a brick.
What’s next: the board plans a rededication in September and is installing interactive technology and the Huey in coming weeks; the memorial continues to host observances around Memorial Day and Veterans Day (typically the Sunday before the holiday). For more information or to purchase a commemorative brick, the board directs the public to gcveteransmemorial.org.
(Note: direct quotes in this article are drawn from the Gate City Insider interview on the Guilford County Veterans Memorial.)
