Community Corner

UPDATE: Sign Reminds Visitors to Respect War Memorial

UPDATE: Royal Oak’s Veterans War Memorial has a new sign reminding visitors not to sit, stand or climb on memorial stones.

"Please respect the War Memorial," the sign reads.

At issue are children that climb on the memorial or concert-goers that sit or dance on the memorial's steps at Art Explored "Live" outdoor concerts at the Royal Oak Public Library.

The sandwich board sign is only a temporary solution. The Royal Oak Memorial Society hopes to install a permanent sign that is more in context with the materials and style of the monument, according to Carol Hennessey of the Memorial Society.


July 11:
John Wendland, 79, says he has 188 reasons why children should not be permitted to climb on Royal Oak’s Veterans War Memorial, located between the Royal Oak Public Library and City Hall.

"There are 188 names on the monuments of those who gave their lives and we owe them all the respect," Wendland told Royal Oak City Commissioners on Monday during public comment.

Wendland, a lifelong resident of Royal Oak, is passionate about veterans, history and Royal Oak's war memorials, which he has tediously documented.

A veteran himself, serving in the 95th Combat Engineers in occupied Germany during 1954-55, Wendand said children use the war memorial for a playground and also uproot flowers and flags around the monuments.

"Kids are climbing all over the monuments when there is a park three blocks away that is fit for children," Wendland said.

Wendland, who visits the memorial weekly, said when he approaches parents they get upset.

"It's not the kids' fault," he said. "Parents need to teach their children to respect the war memorial. We need to never forget what they did for us."

Do you think this is a problem? Is there anything the city should do? Tell us in the comments.

Here's what people are saying on Royal Oak Patch Facebook:

  • Maureen McDonald: Maybe climbing on something IS a form of respect. People are interacting with it. Not just playing "Taps" to it. The memorial was moved to a busy place to be part of the action.
  • Stacey Doyle: Sounds like it was moved (I'm new-ish here), but I assume that was for more traffic, not to turn it into a playplace. It should be treated as public, but with respect. Do not uproot flowers or flags or climb on a Memorial. Unless of course, you want kids doing that to your grave. A Memorial isn't there to let little Johnny or Susie entertain themselves. It's there to give honor and respect to the people who gave their lives for our freedom.
  • Anita Dwyer: I think it's a great honor to know that kids are getting joy out of the memory of those soldiers. I know if I went out heroically I'd want to be memorialized in a way that would always be inviting to kids/families/dogs. Just my 2 cents.
  • Angie Emmerling Boufford: A memorial is not a cemetery. It is a reminder. People should be encouraged to visit and to take their children...and that means there will be some rowdiness and landscape issues. The alternative is to close memorials off to the public, but then who is being reminded of our history and what purpose do the memorials serve? There are memorial highways, memorial parks, many forms of memorials, all intended to remind us of our past as we live the present and move into the future. I agree with the first poster, interaction with a memorial is a form of respect.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here