Veterans Memorial Park in Conroe to be Decommissioned November 12th.
In less than a year, retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jimmie Edwards III has raised thousands of dollars, created the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission and organized the decommissioning and relocation of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park.
On Nov. 12, Edwards along with members of the VMC will host a ceremony honoring Montgomery County's fallen warriors and officially decommission the park in downtown Conroe.
The event will begin at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church, located at 600 N. Main.
The event will feature several dignitaries, including U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Steven Hummer, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Hiram "Doc" Jones and Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Constance McNabb. Also speaking will be Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack, Denton Florian and Larry Forester.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Color Honor Guard will be on hand as well as The Jazz Connection under the direction of Robert "Bob" Price.
Located in downtown Conroe next to the Montgomery County Tax Office, the small park is home to something very special – 166 names of local men killed in action during their military service.
The park honors those from all military branches from World War I to However, Edwards was bothered by the park's lack of visibility. Edwards, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient who served in Vietnam from 1968-69 before losing his legs in a bombing, said those fallen veterans deserve more.
"There is so much more we can do to honor our veterans," Edwards said in a previous Courier article.
Edwards is no stranger to taking charge. After his service to the country, Edwards went on to serve Texas as a state representative during the 1970s before leading Montgomery County as county judge from 1983-87. In fact, it was Edwards who led the effort to rebuild the park in the late 1980s.
At that time, the sitting Commissioners Court members, including Edwards as county judge, all donated $5,000 to rebuild the park and constructed a fountain to bear the names of the fallen military members.
By Catherine Dominguez
The Courier of Montgomery County
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