Veteran memorials shine brightly again

‍

Stone and bronze memorials to Shippensburg war veterans are shining brightly after a recent cleanup courtesy of the Shippensburg Veterans Council and a part-time Fayetteville mason. Scott Cooper recently finished the job at the entrance to Shippensburg’s Veterans Memorial Park.

The memorials honor area vets who served in World War Two, Korea and Viet Nam. Floyd Mooney, commander of VFW Post 6168, says Cooper’s work came just in time to keep the Vietnam memorial intact. “It looked bad,” Mooney says of the Viet Nam monument. “The mortar was starting to fall out. It was ready to fall apart.” Cooper removed old mortar joints and repointed that memorial, and washed and sealed it, along with all the others. “I think they look great,” says American Legion Post 223 Commander Dick Guyer. Cooper says the stone portions of the monuments were coated in grime, probably from traffic on busy Route 11. The bronze was blurred with a green patina that the wash removed. “I worked on it for a few weeks,” Cooper said, “when the weather allowed,” referring to rainy weather. He says Mooney approached him to do the job and he gladly accepted, especially since he is a member of both the American Legion and VFW. “I’ve been in masonry work on the side since 1983, so I new how to do it,” Cooper said. Cooper says he used a modern environmental-friendly wash and a high-tech sealant on the monuments. The process is aimed at protecting he memorials in the future, and has been used at locations like the U.S. Grant home in Illinois and the University of Wisconsin. The monuments contain lists of Shippensburg servicemen from the World War Two, Korea and Viet Nam eras mounted on stone monuments.

‍