Veterans Path and Warrior's Cairn

[Grunt]

Just wanted to share this.  For about a year now I have been leading a landscaping project at the Asheville NC Veterans Adm Medical Center. I finally got approval last week and we broke ground on a Veterans Path and Warrior's Cairn. The path is 120 yards long and comes off the existing perimeter walking path, goes through four white oaks at least fifteen feet in diameter each and curves around and joins up with the walking path again. In the oaks there will be a eight foot inside diameter stone wall that will be about eighteen inches high and eighteen inches thick for the cairn. A four foot concrete walkway will be built around the wall. A concrete wheelchair path will come out from the cairn walkway and join with the parking lot about sixty feet away. The idea is to have Veterans build the cairn by bringing a rock from home and saying a Warriors name as they place a stone in the cairn. We will have a time capsule in the cairn and four or more tables and benches scattered among the canopy of oaks. All the work is being be done by Veterans with donated or discounted materials. I will recieve 45 tons of road-bond tomorrow.
Something happened while were were working last Sunday that will change the name of the path from Veterans Path to Warrior's Path. As we were working one of the Veterans bent over the path and picked up a big beautiful rose quartizite stone point. according to Overstreet the point is between 3000 and 6000 BP. See the picts.
The Veteran holding the point wears three Purple Hearts.

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[El Destructo]

Thats a really cool story...and a great Omen for future of the Path....just about as good as a Blessing from the Warriors Past....lets see it when it's all done also

[sailordad]

Grunt very very cool 
a very god omen from the warriors of the past

very cool way of building a wall and remembering those that have fallen.
you guys have my respect 

[cracker]

Good for you got the utmost respect for our warriors. Ronnie

[Grunt]

Well we finished the landscaping and grass seeding on the Warriors Path project last Saturday. Here are some shots of our Warriors Cairn.There are large stones in the Cairn wall at the four directions. The Cairn will be built over time by folks placing stones to honor Warriors or Warriors placing stone to honor anyone.  We will have a dedication ceremony June 5 at 2:00. My wish is that this place under the Grandfather Oaks will be a place to heal Warriors hearts from war.

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[Ranger B]

Good on you! That is simply awesome.

[Pappy]

That great,love it and them. Thanks.
   Pappy

[half eye]

Grunt,
     Like that a whole bunch, The spirits it was built for will like it too. Gives an old warrior a place to conjure back the memories of his youth and comrades, and the things he can't talk about. Good for you.
Rich

[Postman]

Wow - that is very inspiring stuff there, grunt. Great job and congrats to you and your crew.

[Parnell]

Beautiful work, Grunt, you must be proud of the whole project, I would be.  Congratulations.

[KenH]

Yah Ta Hey!

We remember...

[Grunt]

Thanks for the kind word guys. We will have a fairly large Lakota Native American group at our dedication. There will be drumming and singing to "wake up" the Path and Cairn. Two honor guards, a Chaplain, the American Boy Scouts, lots of veterans and Gold Star and blue Star families. I figure maybe fifty or sixty stones will be placed.

[Grunt]

Here's a bronze outdoor interpretative sign for the Cairn that I got the VA to spring for. There must be a couple of hundred rocks that have been placed to honor vets. 

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[youngbowyer33]

First time I saw this, that is really cool