A special memorial park in Belding is nearly complete.
From 1942 to 1948, a large wooden wall stood on the northeast corner of Bridge Street and Main Street to honor area veterans who fought in World War II. But in 1948, a business bought the property to build a factory and the wall came down.
Then in 2010, Denny Craycraft, a Belding resident and Vietnam War veteran, started a massive effort to bring it back.
Wednesday, crews put up the Michigan Vietnam Remembrance Wall, black granite slabs with the names of the more than 2,600 men from Michigan killed during the Vietnam War.
“It’s really hard to, you know, it’s very emotional to me that a dream can come true where we can truly show respect to our Vietnam veterans,” Craycraft said.
The Belding Veterans Park was made possible through donations from local community members and businesses.
Online: Belding Veterans Park