Attendees braved 40-degree temperatures and brisk winds to dedicate a new veterans installation at Brook Run Park during an abbreviated ceremony on Nov. 11.
The ceremony’s featured speaker was Captain Wayne Radloff, USN (Ret), a longtime Dunwoody resident who served more than 30 years of active duty as a Naval flight officer.
Radloff kicked off his remarks by saying, “It’s cold, we’re in the shade, and my wife is already giving me the high sign [to wrap it up], but it’s an honor to be here this morning.”
“To all who have served – our soldiers, our sailors, airmen, guardians, Coast Guard, and Marines – our nation offers more than just a simple thank-you,” he said. “It offers you its deepest, most profound respect and lasting gratitude for our service, our strength, and our sacrifice.”
“We are ordinary people who, when the call of duty called, chose to answer it,” he continued.
Veterans Day is the time to honor the living, but also the departed, Radloff said, mentioning in particular, longtime Dunwoody community activists and veterans Bev Wingate and Bill Robinson.
The Dunwoody Parks and Recreation hosted the event, with support from the Dunwoody/Sandy Springs VFW Post 10822 and the Dunwoody Woman’s Club.
Dunwoody Council Member Joe Seconder, U.S. Army Major (Ret.), led the Pledge of Allegiance. Rev. Shannon Dill, Associate Pastor at Saint Luke’s Presbyterian Church, gave the invocation and benediction, and the Callanwolde Concert Band Brass Ensemble performed patriotic music.
Dunwoody Parks and Recreation began planning the memorial’s revitalization in 2022, and DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick allocated $100,000 from his district’s discretionary funds for the design.
The memorial features marble plaques, service flags, an eternal flame, and a Soldier’s Cross – a symbolic tribute with a rifle, helmet, and boots representing the fallen. A small path connects the Veterans Memorial with the Vietnam War Memorial, which was dedicated last year.
