The Town of Okotoks is making a call to the public to ensure no name is left behind.
With the second phase of the Salute to the Veterans Wall project planned to be unveiled in the fall, the Town is asking for assistance in collecting the names and photographs of servicemen or women from the Boer War, First World War and Korean War.
“That’s what we’re researching now to find the names and photographs, if possible, of all of the Okotoks and area residents who served in those three conflicts,” said Okotoks Museum and Archives specialist Kathy Coutts. “Certainly, old newspapers and the Okotoks History book have been a great resource, included in the Okotoks History book is a list of those who served.
To date, the research has uncovered eight residents who served in the Boer War, 120 in the First World War and one in the Korean War.
“We want to use that (book) as a guide,” Coutts said “But like with anything we don’t want to just strictly rely on the information in that book – in case there were people missed at the time, particularly those who didn’t have any family who were around to submit names so we want to reach out to the community to make sure we don’t miss anyone in any of those three wars.”
The first phase of the Veterans Wall, featuring veterans from the Second World War from the Okotoks district, was unveiled on Veterans Way in 2017.
“We started with World War II because we had a lot of that information already,” Coutts said. “We always knew that it would be the first phase, that it would extend into the other conflicts.”
Once the research is finished and submissions are studied by the end of June, the goal is to have the second phase of the Veterans Wall finished later this fall.
The second phase will have a similar look to the first with the conflicts listed chronologically left to right on the Memorial, from the Boer War, First World War, Second World War to the Korean War.
“It’s been wonderful to hear comments from the community on Phase 1, what it means to family members of those who served,” Coutts said. “We’re hoping that same response will be received from the Boer War, World War One and Korea.
“We’ve had wonderful comments from people who didn’t know anything about it, whose family, their grandfathers or fathers may have grown up here, enlisted from here, but after the war they moved away so they come back to Okotoks just for a visit and they’re surprised to see their father or grandfather on the wall and they’ve made a point of coming to the museum to express how thrilled they were.
“It’s like a living tribute. It’s one thing to have a name on a headstone on a cemetery, but this is more of a tribute.”
Submissions of names and photographs for consideration will be taken until June 14. For submissions of names, photographs of servicemen or women or for further questions on the matter contact the Okotoks Museum and Archives by email at [email protected] or on the phone at 403-938-8969.
