The new Fallen Soldier Battle Cross statue sits outside of the Dearborn Heights City Hall building after the replacement for the damaged original was installed last week.
By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross statue outside City Hall, 6045 Fenton, has been replaced after the original was damaged earlier this year.
The creator of the original statue, Nick Christensen, installed the new statue last week. Christensen is the owner of Brodin Studios in Kimball, Minn., and was waiting until he had a few jobs in Michigan to install the statue.
He charged the city only for rebuilding the statue, which totaled $1,673 from the Department of Public Works budget for maintenance.
Along with the statue, 24-hour lights were added to illuminate the American flag, and the bushes near the memorial wall were trimmed after they had overgrown.
“The memorial wall means a lot to me,” Councilman Tom Wencel said. “I have a personal interest in it because Vietnam War veteran Jimmie Ryals, who was serving the same time as my brother, is one of the names on the wall. As his friend, my brother escorted Jimmie’s body here for the funeral after Jimmie was killed.”
Wencel initially brought the damaged statue issue to the city’s building and maintenance department, which put the statue work out for a bid.
The statue’s rifle was broken off and stolen along with the helmet only leaving the boots. Wencel said the statue is a way to remember and show honor for fallen soliders when they die in battle.
Wencel met Vietnam veteran Ed Jackson last spring and talked about the damaged statue.
While Jackson did the leg work, Wencel brought up the statue during a May city council meeting, and Emergency Manager Lee Gavin looked into it.
The work for the statue was first contracted out in July but was delayed to wait on Christensen to come to Michigan. Gavin said at the July 23 council meeting the cost would’ve been three times greater if Christensen had made the trip separately from his planned Michigan visit.
When Christensen created the new brass statue he welded the rifle to the top of the boots.
Wencel said malfunctioning security cameras at city hall prevented investigators from learning who stole the statue parts.
Wencel said growing up in a family and veteran household with a grandfather, father and brother who served their country enabled him to see first-hand the struggles veterans go through.
“The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross statue is important because of the way veterans get treated,” Wencel said. “Veterans used to be honored and now they are outcasted or neglected. They work hard to get anything.”
Wencel started the Facebook page Dearborn Heights Veterans to connect with local veterans and help veterans who may be in need. With just a couple posts on the page, a couch was donated to one veteran and another received help fixing his garage door recently.
In the near future, Wencel said he is going to work with the city to find volunteers to keep the memorials maintained.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])