The Town of Granite Falls will host a ceremony to honor Veterans on Thursday, November 9, 2023 in the gymnasium of the Granite Falls Recreation Center located at 56 Pinewood Road in Granite Falls. Patriotic music will be played, and refreshments will be served starting at 9:30 am. The ceremony will begin at 10 am. The program features a selection of live patriotic music by the South Caldwell High School Symphonic Band and the South Caldwell High School Women’s Choir, the presentation of colors by the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard, speeches by local Veterans, the reading of the names of Granite Falls residents who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives while serving our country, and the placement of a wreath at the monument.
This is the 9th annual Veterans Day ceremony. In November 2014, the Town of Granite Falls dedicated the Town Veterans monument, which included the inscription of the names of 406 Veterans with ties to the Town of Granite Falls or southern Caldwell County. This year, we have an additional 6 names to inscribe on the monument since our last ceremony bringing the total number of names to 638.
The Town of Granite Falls was able to develop the site and design concept without spending any taxpayer dollars. The monument and the annual inscriptions were funded through donations from businesses and individuals who wish to recognize the sacrifices made by the men and women of our Armed Forces. The Town of Granite Falls Veterans Committee worked diligently on the Veterans monument project for a little over three years. The Committee members were Chairman Sam Erby, Jr (USMC), Vice-Chairman Jim Mackie (USMC), Secretary Ritch Bolick (USN), Jim Sullivan (USN), Martin D. Townsend (USA), and Frank Mackie (USA).
The Town continues to accept applications for Veteran name inscriptions on the monument. Names are inscribed in phases and applications are accepted through July 31st of each year for the annual Veterans Day Ceremony. Names collected after July 31st of each year will be inscribed on the monument walls the following year. Applications for name inscriptions are available at the Town Office and on our website, wwww.granitefallsnc.com