A Palmerton funeral home is the latest to aid in the eventual placement of a Veterans Memorial in the borough park.

The T.K. Thomas Funeral Home, 145 Delaware Ave., recently donated a ceremonial bugle to the Palmerton United Veteran's Organization.The instrument which will be used by the Legion Honor Guard for military funerals came courtesy of Rich and Debbie Taylor, owners of the funeral home.Rich Taylor, who has served as funeral director at the funeral home for the past 16 years, said he and his wife were more than happy to pitch in."Every time we needed to organize military funeral honors to render a veteran, the Palmerton United Veterans Organization have never let me down," Rich Taylor said. "They've always impressed me."Taylor said the funeral home doesn't take the organization's service for granted."The Palmerton United Veterans Organization will always come through for a Palmerton veteran," he said. "It's something Debbie and I have always appreciated."In the absence of a bugler, Taylor said he approached Ed Moyer, commander of American Legion Post 269 in Palmerton, to see what kind of cost was associated with the bugle."Knowing how much they have done for us through the years, and never asking for a donation, Debbie and I feel it's the least we can do for saying thank you for 16 years of dedicated service, and we hope there are many, many more years to come," he said. "We're certainly grateful, and glad the opportunity came along for us to demonstrate how grateful we are and continue to be."Moyer expressed thanks on behalf of the organization, and said the instrument will go on to pay huge dividends."In the past, we had a volunteer from the high school help us out, but they no longer have a band program," Moyer said. "We used to have to go to the courthouse in Jim Thorpe to pick one up."Moyer added that the funeral home approached the PUVO with the offer."They wanted to do something for us," he said. "We really appreciate it; it saves us from running."To date, $115,000 of the expected $125,000 cost has been raised for the monument, Moyer said. An additional $10,000 in grant money could also be received after the Corbett administration approved $48 million for local projects sought by specific lawmakers, popularly known as WAMs, which means "walking around money."Recently, Moyer said the organization bought a granite block for the statue in the amount of $10,000. The group plans to light the statue and install fencing around it, he said.At present, the group has collected 3,800 names for the memorial, said Joe Uhnak, first vice commander, PUVO, who added that they're looking for more names to be submitted.Uhnak said upcoming fundraisers will include a bridge collection along Delaware Avenue, and a bake sale at Country Harvest Family Market in May.The PUVO and the borough plan to build the memorial to honor all of the Palmerton area servicemen and women as a tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and to those who served to preserve our freedom.The memorial will include names of veterans from the American Revolutionary era to the present a span of over 230 years who either entered the service while a resident of the Palmerton area, or who have lived in the area at least half of their adult life.It will be dedicated on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, to mark the 100-year celebration of the borough.A series of meetings produced a draft drawing. The centerpiece was donated by Richard Nothstein, a borough council member who spearheaded the project.The centerpiece is a sculpture entitled "Some Gave All," and depicts a gun and helmet. The sculpture will be surrounded by a wide walkway and standing stones with the names of veterans. Those who were killed in action will be named on the base of the sculpture.To qualify, veterans need not have seen action in wartime. Peacetime veterans will also be honored.The memorial will be located on a section of land 35 feet by 40 feet in size in the lower southwest corner of the borough park, where the present flagpole is situated, and will include a list of all veterans' names on granite monuments from all time periods of service.The sculpture one of 10 created depicting the gun and helmet will consist of between 30 and 40 slabs of granite and contain the names of about 200 veterans per slab engraved on the granite. It was made by James N. Mur of Sedona, Ariz., who sent a plaque to Nothstein that told about the sculpture's beginnings. A poem by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell on one side of the base was written for soldiers killed in a battle in Vietnam.Opportunities to say thank you to veterans can be made by a listing on the granite wall individual or family name for a $500 donation, and a corporate or business name for $750.Walkway opportunities include a 10-inch by 14-inch granite block for $200, and can include a military emblem; a 6-inch by 9-inch paver for $50; or a 4-inch by 8-inch paver for $40.The necessary information should include the individual's name, branch of service, dates of service, rank, date of birth, residence at time of induction, and years living in the Palmerton area.The information should be sent to the Palmerton Legion, P.O. Box 84, Palmerton, PA 18071, or Palmerton VFW, 2020 Forest Inn Road, Palmerton, PA 18071.Moyer said information about the memorial can be viewed on Facebook, under Palmerton Area Servicemen and Women Memorial, and on palmertonuvo.org.Anyone with questions, or those who want to submit the information, may contact Uhnak at (610) 826-2902 or at

onlyelvs@ptd.net; Moyer at (610) 504-6680 or

tecked@ptd.net; or Nothstein at (610) 826-7339 or

dnd1@ptd.net.