PROGRESS OF THE R.I.N.G. RETIREES LIVING MEMORIAL May 24th to September 26, 2009 Pictures by members of the R.I.N.G. Retirees Association Memorial Committee.
30 May 2009: Memorial Committee Chair Bob Urquhart signs off on the masters that will be used to "engrave" the granite slabs at Rock of Ages quarry. After discussion on site with Jean Vanti and Dave Gray, some minor adjustments were made. A detail (center) of what one of the masters looks like. The State Seal (right) needed some changes as shown.
6-7 June 2009: The results of another weekend drill for the 861st Engr Co (RIARNG) brings the fill up to almost the final level. More work will be done for final grading and in preparation for the installation of the bricks. Click HERE to print or download the donation and brick order forms.
14 June 2009: The Ocean State Chapter Harley Owners Group and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association joined the Warrior Brotherhood Veterans Motorcycle Club (the main sponsor) to raise more than $4,500 for the Memorial during a Charity Poker Run.
14 June 2009: Carlene and John Carmen staffed a Memorial booth at the Harley-Davidson Exeter store, collecting 15 brick orders.
17 August 2009: We are ready for the granite, then comes the bricks and stone dust.
21 August 2009: We tested out the how the proposed layout will look with actual bricks. Committee members (above left) Bob Urquhart, Jean Vanti, Bill O'Mara and Tom Rezendes look at a simulated brick array (below left). A portion of the layout plan is shown (Above right). The solid black areas are sold bricks (413 to date), the white areas will be blank bricks, and the gray areas are bricks than can still be purchased for installation next year and in subsequent years.
13 September 2009: Carlene Carmen and Dave Gray brought the exhibit to the Veterans Information Fair at the Schofield Armory. We made some good contacts and passed out a LOT of literature and brick order forms.
21 September 2009: A shipment of more than 1,800 blank bricks arrived at the Veterans Cemetery (left) and cemetery workers helped the truck driver drop the 6 pallets for storage at the maintenance facility. The shipment contained a mixture of 4" x 8" and 8" x 8" bricks (right).
23 September 2009: Memorial Committee members travel to PermanentMark, Inc., in Clinton, Mass. (Northwest of Boston) to transport engraved bricks back to the Veterans Cemetery in Exeter. Each brick was checked (left) for accuracy and production faults. Special bricks and duplicates were marked (center) and reloaded onto pallets (right) that were put on a trailer. Of the more than 300 that were picked up, only nine had to be redone.
25-26 September 2009: Committee members staffed the table at the U.S. Army's "Spirit of America" show at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence. John Gallo, above, explains the forms and brochures to a Providence policeman.
