Veterans Park
The Chippewa Valley Veterans Tribute Foundation has created a plan to build a proper tribute in the Chippewa Valley where flag holidays could be celebrated and honored. The park will be a place for reflection, a place that enforces the sentiment of community, and a place where history is preserved. The park will:
HONOR those who have served in the military to protect our freedoms
EDUCATE the younger generation of the sacrifices made by those that came before them
REMEMBER the comrades they lost in battle and share the stories of victories and loss
A Heros Welcome
Many tributes and memorials to our nations Veterans across the country feature a custom piece of artwork at the entrance to welcome visitors. The Chippewa Valley Veterans Tribute Foundation selected Old Abe the War Eagle and mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment (from the Eau Claire area) to honorably represent the spirit of the military history of the Chippewa Valley.
From 1861-1864 the 8th Regiment with Old Abe took part in more than 30 battles and skirmishes. Despite having a bounty placed on his head by the Confederacy, Old Abe returned unscathed to Wisconsin at the end of the Civil War. He lived out his days in a custom apartment in the Wisconsin state capital in Madison.
Old Abe exemplifies the courage and sacrifice that all Wisconsin and Chippewa Valley servicemen and women gave so willingly in service to the nation. It is with national and local pride that we have adopted Old Abe and the 8th Wisconsin Infantry as our Welcome Home monument to visitors arriving at the Chippewa Valley Veterans Tribute.
Learn more about Old Abe
Old Glory
Old Glory has become a local landmark and marks the spot of the Chippewa Valley Veterans Tribute in Altoona’s beautiful River Prairie Park. We are so proud that the community has taken ownership of our beautiful American flag flying proudly along Hwy 53.
The flag is 40’X80’ and weighs around 60 pounds. Wisconsin weather is hard on the flag. Despite the toughest construction available, the flag needs to be repaired a couple times a year and eventually replaced. A new flag cost $6,000. The cost of yearly maintenance to the flagpole mechanics is upward of $1000 to keep it in peak working order. If something does go wrong, repairs to are extremley costly and require special order parts and specialized training to return it to working order.
We are continually working to ensure the flag looks its best and conforms to US flag code. It takes a substantial amount of money to maintain this level of consistency and keep the flag flying. We rely on donations from local organizations, businesses, and community to support this effort.
Donate to the flag fund
Flag Retirement
The LaMoyne K. Jevne Flag Retirement Station will be an educational tool and place to properly retire the American flags collected throughout the country. Fully funded by US Navy Veteran LaMoyne Jevne, tentative plans for unveiling are in 2023.
Tribute Mall
A large star with the Eau Claire county seal will be in the center with granite benches, military flags, and sentinel statues around the perimeter.
Legacy Stones
Legacy Stones are located to the west of the mall. Veteran stones are gray granite and Killed-in-Action stones are red granite.
What do the coins mean? Leaving coins on headstones became common in the United States during the Vietnam war. Due to the political divide in the country, leaving a coin on a the grave was preferred over contacting the family directly. Veterans would leave coins as a "down payment" to buy their fallen comrades a beer or play a hand of cards when they are finally reunited. Adhering to tradition, the money left on the stones is collected and put into the general fund for the Veterans Tribute.
- A penny means you visited
- A nickle means that you went to boot camp together
- A dime means you served together
- A quarter means that you were there when that solider was killed
Gold Star Families + Welcome Home
The title of Gold Star Family is reserved for families who lost a member in the line of duty. It honors the service member’s ultimate sacrifice while acknowledging their family’s loss, grief, and continued healing.
Today, only 1% of the nation serves in the military, compared 12% during WWII – but there are more Gold Star Families than you might think. According to military records, since 9/11, 7,000+ service members died in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and 16,000+ have died in noncombat related circumstances.
The last Sunday in September to be Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day. We hold a Gold Star ceremony annually to honor those that still bear this unbearable loss.
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