The Veterans Day Ceremony is hosted each year on November 11 at 11am at Baish Veterans Park.
Attendants can hear a pin drop during the playing of “Taps” at the conclusion of the ceremony, the only motion coming from the leaves slowly falling from the trees surrounding City Hall lawn. The day also brings together the entire community from a 100-year-old WWII veteran to a 9-year-old singing patriotic songs along with his third-grade class.
It is something that the City of Artesia and Artesia MainStreet leaders only imagined when dreaming of a newly designed place that would honor Artesia’s veterans. Dedicated in November 2012, Baish Veterans Park will celebrate 10 years this November.
Baish Park and the Wall of Honor serve as a reflection of the pride we feel toward the veterans of North Eddy County and is a lasting remembrance of their service in defense of our great nation. To date, over 1,100 veterans are listed on the Wall of Honor.
The wall includes 12 steel panels that feature local veterans’ names, ranks, and the conflicts in which they served. Veterans’ information is added to the panels using a waterjet cutting process that uses an ultra-high-pressure stream of water to carry an abrasive grit to cut the steel. What remains is a negative space typography that lends itself to the beautiful backlit panels at night.
The park also includes the bronze sculpture, Freedom’s Fire, by Beverly Paddleford and a sculpture of two bald eagles, carved from a pecan tree stump, by artist Cam Dockery.
Each of these features works together to create a reflective and impressive space that honors the brave men and women of our community. As Billy Graham once said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
Baish Veterans Park stands as a reminder to us all that freedom is not free. The courage of our service men and women is an inspiration that instills a love for our country and for our neighbors.
Names are added to the wall on a biennial basis and must be past or present residents of North Eddy County and provide certification of service.
Artesia MainStreet will be accepting applications for the 2022 Wall of Honor additions until May 31, 2022, and names will be added by November 11. Applications can be found at www.artesiamainstreet.com or by calling 575.746.1117.
Article written by Elisabeth Jackson, Executive Director of Artesia Main Street, and originally published in Focus on Artesia 2022 Artesia edition.
