Heroes honored: Helena vets rededicate memorial, East Helena has Veterans Day parade

Nolan Lister

Raymond Read of the Lewis and Clark County Veterans Memorial Foundation leads a few dozen attendees in saluting the U.S. flag Saturday during a rededication of the memorial as part of the organization’s Veterans Day ceremony.

NOLAN LISTER

The Lewis and Clark County Veterans Memorial Foundation rededicated its namesake monument, newly refurbished, Saturday as part of the Helena area’s Veterans Day celebration.

Retired Army veteran Raymond Read said the 74-year-old memorial has stood the test of time thanks to “many veterans, organizations, community groups, city and county officials, and Lewis and Clark County residents.”

“In 2023, the complete refurbishing of the memorial cost us (the foundation) nearly $40,000,” Read told the few dozen in attendance at the ceremony in Helena’s Memorial Park Saturday afternoon.

The memorial was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1949, to those who lost their lives in the service of their country during World War II. There is also a smaller monument dedicated to the 1st Special Force.

The memorial underwent major repairs in 1992 and 2006, with the city of Helena upgrading its adjacent facilities

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