As Memorial Day nears so does the deadline to buy pavers for the proposed Tribute to Veterans Memorial.The memorial, which will be located on the Purple Heart Highway, will showcase the names of 71 veterans who died while fighting in a foreign conflict and Rick Mantione with the 501(C)(3) Tribute to Veterans Memorial group said the pavers are vital to construction of the first phase of the project.“The pavers are critical to putting up the wall with the 71 names, which is the first third of the project and the most expensive,” Mantione said. “We are trying to get as many veterans on the walk as possible, but anyone can buy a paver, even if they are not veterans.”Although featuring the names of local veterans, Mantione said the memorial’s location on the Purple Heart Highway will make it a regional destination. He has sought the assistance of veteran organizations in surrounding counties in order to get the first phase underway.“We promote the pavers in surrounding counties, Warren, Franklin, St. Charles and Lincoln counties, and many more to come,” Mantione said. “... When we talk to these other organizations that are not local we tell them that we are on the Purple Heart Highway. Many people drive on that highway just to see the memorials.”Tribute to Veterans held a Boots and Helmet fundraiser last weekend outside of the Wal-mart in Warrenton, which Mantione said was well received.“Boots and Helmets went well,” Mantione said. “The fire department sent over a fire truck and put up an American flag on the high lift boom. We got a good amount of money, a little less than last time, but we got some great exposure.”Mantione added that exposure for the memorial could dramatically increase after the National Public Radio St. Louis affiliate interviewed Mantione and Warrenton resident Beth Vincent about her father, Melvin Clover, who died in a plane crash while fighting in the Korean War. The interview should air Monday. Mantione credited an article that ran in the Warren County Record and the Washington Missourian for drawing national attention, which he said will have a direct impact on funding the memorial.“There will be information all over the St. Louis area on our memorial,” Mantione said. “That is a direct byproduct of Bill Miller Sr. (Record and Missourian owner) and The Record of supporting us, which we greatly appreciate.”Although garnering national attention, Mantione said time is running out to donate to the memorial. He added that the best way to support the memorial is to purchase a paver, which costs $150. Those who purchase pavers can have them engraved to feature the name of a business, veteran or individual. The pavers will be a part of the memorial’s Walk of Honor. Those looking to make donations can make them by mail at P.O. Box 57, Warrenton, MO 63393 or visit the paver website ttvmsupporter.donationbricks.com“It is very important that people understand we have a lot of applications out and we need to get them as soon as possible and the cutoff is in September. If they want to be on the Walk of Honor, then they have to get those in as soon as possible,” Mantione said.Shown here are the names of the Warren County veterans who will be featured on the wall:World War IArmyHarry H. BrueggenjohannAlbert W. DetermanHugo DorschOrgain W. DuebbertAllie B. DykeGeorge A. EllerbruchChristopher C. GarrettFred GruberFritz H. HackmanEmil HeggemannCarl B. HudsonJohn W. HumphreyOtis L. JonesClarence W. LohmanHorace G. MeansJohn P. MilliamOtto H. PaustianLouis R. SchwerdtIrwin E. SilvyIra L. StoltzJoseph C. ThurmanJohn F. TruemperArthur B. ViethHugo J. WitthausCharles W. WortmanMarine CorpsPaul HumberGeorge W. KoehlerOscar A. VollrathNavyWesley H. HarbaumCharles A. McVeyLester W. MiddlekampWorld War IIArmyEverett L. AshmanWillard F. AshmanJack N. BondVirgil C. BungeVirgil C. ChilesLuther E. DanielAustin E. DempseyJames L. FryEmil C. HackmanRaymond G. HoffmanWalter B. IsaacsErwin W.H. KoellnEdwin W. LoehnigLeon H. MadesWilber E. McGeeLouis W. MeyerSigmond L. NelsonHarry ScheibeRaymond M. SchroerAlbert H. TheeRaymond W. WergesAlger E. WilliamsMarine CorpsEdward H. GillHarold S. PollockNavyGeorge F. BeckRaymond G. KossinaAir ForceLaverne E. BebermeyerHerbert W. BehrendesWilliam W. BuschmannGale F. BrownHubert F. HohnRalph E. Scholl Jr.Luther M. YoungKorean WarArmyGerald O. BangertVietnam ArmyPhilip W. HuntDale E. NorthCharles G. SchwartsMarine CorpsRichard S. HaynesIraq WarArmyLucas M. BreggAfghanistan WarArmyJustin E. Culbreth

Jase Besancenez drops a few dollars in a boot while his father, David Besancenez, looks on during the Tribute to Veterans’ Boots and Helmets fundraiser Saturday. Jimmy Potts Photo.