County Plans Memorial For War Dead Kootenai Commissioners Look For Donations To Build Plaque

Kootenai County commissioners are trying to raise money to memorialize area soldiers who died in wars.

County workers have tracked down 143 names of Kootenai County veterans who died in conflicts from the Spanish American War to Vietnam.

They are planning to put the names in gold lettering on a 5-by-6 black marble memorial and place it outside the courthouse.

The goal is to increase the county’s recognition of those who gave the “ultimate sacrifice,” Commissioner Ron Rankin said.

The county is planning to build the monument without using tax dollars, and is seeking donations from interested people.

The project will cost $10,000 to $12,000. The county already has raised $3,500 from private sources, Rankin said.

After a mock version of the memorial was built, commissioners discovered some veterans’ names were excluded.

To avoid that problem on the final monument, Rankin urges residents to call him if there are names not listed that should be listed.

Rankin, who served in the Korean War, can be reached at 769-4450.

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