Iraq-Afghanistan war memorial moves closer to reality

SALEM -- Clay Kesterson stands at the center of the small park on the northeast corner of the Department of Veterans Affairs complex on a chilly February morning. The sounds of morning commuters bustling past the Capitol Mall are in the background.

From where he's standing it's exactly 77 feet in either direction to the sidewalks abutting Summer Street and Mill Creek, Kesterson says.

This is where a memorial honoring his son and other troops killed while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will sit.

Its base will be a 30-by-40-foot reflecting pool, with a map of the world as its surface.

The centerpieces will be a life-sized soldier cast in bronze, standing atop an oscillating six-foot high pedestal. There will be a granite monument bearing the names of the 58 Oregon military men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to date.

"I've seen pictures of the statue," Clay Kesterson said, noting that it currently sits in a foundry in Tacoma. "It's going to be great."

Clay Kesterson's son, Army Chief Warrant Officer Erik C. Kesterson of Independence, died in a helicopter crash in Mosul, Iraq, in November of 2003.

It inspired Clay and wife, M.J., to create a tribute to veterans of the war in the Middle East. Since the tragedy, the couple has raised more than $400,000 in funds and in-kind donations for the project.

"We're basically ready to go," Clay Kesterson said. All that's left is the state permit process for construction.

"I'll never forget the day they came and told me my son was killed," M.J. Kesterson said. "I told myself I wasn't going to let him die -- we want to keep his and the other troops' sacrifice and service in the forefront."

The Kestersons' grief has fueled their efforts in support of U.S. troops -- whether it's speaking engagements or consoling other families who have lost members in the service.

It started with the memorial. And not long after Erik's death, Clay and M.J. Kesterson formed a non-profit organization to raise money for the venture.

With a design in hand, they approached Independence and state officials about a suitable site. The Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) agreed to designate a plot among other war monuments near its headquarters at 700 Summer St.

Then the real work began, M.J. Kesterson said. She's up at 6 a.m. most days, checking e-mails, sifting through paperwork and cold-calling companies for involvement in the memorial project. Clay Kesterson would write grant requests.

And they both spent countless weekends fund raising at fairs, gun shows and supermarket parking lots.

"I think we've worked harder on this than we did when we had regular jobs," she said.

All the while, the pair has attended services for Oregonians killed in the war. They've worked with veterans' organizations to highlight progress being made overseas, and they have delivered care packages to recovering soldiers at Fort Madigan Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Wash.

Last year, the Kestersons later joined and became advisers for Families United for the Troops and Their Mission, a nationwide-coalition of military families that demonstrates on behalf of service men and women. It seeks to connect "gold star" families -- those with kin in harms way.

It has resulted in speaking engagements in Montana, Washington, D.C. and even Crawford, Texas, where the couple joined a protest to counter a demonstration by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

"It's all been totally new for us," Clay Kesterson said. "Life has changed pretty dramatically for us."

They may be due for a brief rest after the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom War Memorial is finished. M.J. Kesterson said she hopes to have it completed in time for a special unveiling for Oregon veteran's families before Memorial Day.

She said the support for the monument has been widespread. Construction companies have offered free labor and services. Three of the state's Indian Casinos have written checks totalling $20,000.

Last year, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq donated his truck for a raffle on behalf of the project, earning $17,000.

"From the big checks to the 7-year-old who gave us 12 cents for the memorial ... it has been a statewide effort," M.J. Kesterson said.