Members of the Palmerton United Veterans Organization have marked their ground.

They even broke out their shovels to be sure as part of a groundbreaking ceremony in honor of the Palmerton Veterans Memorial.About 50 residents joined 20-plus members of the PUVO in the borough park on Saturday to break ground at the site where the memorial will be located.The PUVO and the borough decided to build the memorial in the borough park as a tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and to those who served to preserve our freedom.It will be located on a section of land 40 feet by 60 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.Veteran Steve Vlossak welcomed those in attendance. After the Pledge of Allegiance, a rendition of the national anthem was performed by resident Larry Arner.Joe Uhnak, first vice commander, American Legion Post 269 in Palmerton, gave the invocation.Uhnak said the structure will be a "lasting memorial," and "a place of remembrance," to those who have, and continue to protect "the liberties of which we enjoy."Ed Moyer, commander, said the memorial has reached phase 3 of the five-step project. Phase 1 was the vision, said Moyer, who added that Joseph Plechavy Sr. had a vision to reconstruct the Palmerton Honor Roll of 1944. That billboard, which was displayed on Delaware Avenue, listed the names of 1,451 men and women serving in World War II, Moyer said."The veterans committee took Joe's idea one step further," Moyer said. "We wanted to honor, thank, and continue thanking all the service men and women that served this great country from our area."Moyer said the names of all service men and women over the last 236 years will be etched in 24 granite stones, with special honor given to the 72 veterans killed in action on the "Some Gave All" statue.Phase 2, Moyer said, was the collection, as money and names had to be collected."We set our goal at $150,000," he said. "Because of the generosity of the residents and businesses, we have exceeded our goal by $39,000."As of this past July 1, Moyer said 3,544 names had been collected, and added that names are still being submitted. Any name received after that point will be added to the granite block for Memorial Day, 2013, he said."Today, we are proud to celebrate Phase 3, the construction stage," Moyer said. "Construction of the cement bases for the granite blocks will start on Monday, weather permitting, and after, the commemorative brick walkways will be constructed."Phases 4 and 5 will be the dedication of the memorial, as well as updating and maintaining the memorial for future years, Moyer said."I can't thank the people of Palmerton enough for their support to their veterans," he said. "Thanks to borough council for donating this small portion of the park so our service men and women can be honored."Moyer then recognized and thanked committee members Al Kohler, World War II Veteran; George Duell, Korea and Vietnam Veteran, who is presently the ambassador to the Army Reserve; Ed Baranski; Harry Brown; Victor Jahelka; Nick Hawkey; Paul Koch; Bruce Reiner; Bobby Solt; Vlossak; Uhnak, himself; and all Vietnam Veterans; as well as Ed Bush, Gulf War vet; Richard Nothstein, enlisted for his guidance, support, and appreciation of veterans and as a member of Palmerton Borough Council.Moyer added "the committee and myself thank everyone here today, and hope to see everyone again in three months."Nothstein, who spearheaded the project, lauded those who helped make the memorial a reality."If ever there is a good cause in Palmerton, the citizenry will rise to the occasion and get it done," Nothstein said. "This is a real opportunity for me to say thank you to the group of people who have done much more than anyone could ask."Nothstein said his hope is that the memorial will serve as a token of appreciation."The thank you we give them will now be chiseled in stone," he said. "They're special, and we think our memorial to them will be very fitting and say thank you to them."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.To qualify, veterans need not have seen action in wartime. Peacetime veterans will also be honored.The centerpiece is a sculpture entitled "Some Gave All," and depicts a gun and helmet. It was donated by Nothstein.It 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.The memorial will consist of 24 slabs of granite and contain the names of 180 veterans per slab engraved on the granite. It was made by James N. Mur of Sedona, Ariz., and purchased by Nothstein.A list of the names of the veterans that are going to be on the memorial is located at the Country Harvest Family Market in Palmerton.Available for purchase are T-shirts and sweatshirts that read Palmerton Veterans Memorial across the top, and "Some Gave All" across the bottom. On the front of the T-shirt is a picture of the statue that will be on the veterans memorial. Blue and red in color, the T-shirts cost $18. Also blue and red in color, the hooded sweatshirts cost $28, while crew sweatshirts are $23. They are available for purchase at the Country Harvest Family Market, or by calling Uhnak at (610) 826-2902.Several benches are left for purchase. Those who purchase a bench will have their names engraved on them.Also, opportunities to say thank you to veterans can be made by listing the names of individuals on the bricks or granite block. Personal or family donations of $500, or a corporate or business name for $750 will be placed on the Founding Fathers stone. 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. There is no deadline to purchase the bricks or granite blocks.Any additional donations the PUVO receives will be used toward the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial.For more information, contact Moyer at (610) 504-6680 or

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

dnd1@ptd.net; or Uhnak at

onlyelvs@ptd.net.The dedication for the memorial will be held on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, starting at noon. Then at 2 p.m., the borough will host the Carbon County Veterans Day Parade.Information about the memorial can be viewed on Facebook, under Palmerton Area Servicemen and Women Memorial, and on palmertonuvo.org.