HARTLAND — Scott Wymyczak, commander of the American Legion Gasport Memorial Post 1253, calls it a "tribute to both living and deceased veterans."
A new veterans' memorial, featuring a refurbished Vietnam War helicopter, is just about complete.
It's located by the Hartland Volunteer Fire Company, next to the Hartland Town Park. It's a project 12 years in the making.
Former Hartland Town Supervisor Ross Annable said that in 2013, the town decided to erect some kind of memorial for veterans. They wanted to include a piece of military history.
"We were looking for a small piece of artillery, a cannon, something of that nature," he said.
“Every year I would call and ask if there was something that we could have," he recalled, but they had no luck.
Then, a little over a year ago, the Army called and said they had a Bell Huey helicopter that was flown in the Vietnam War for them.
That was a little more than the town was anticipating, but they came up with a plan.
The Hartland Fire Company agreed to put the helicopter on their property, which is adjacent to the Hartland Town Park.
But first, it needed to be fixed up for display. That work was handled by students at Orleans BOCES.
7 News visited the students as they started work on the old helicopter in November 2024.
It has special significance. A pilot from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tommy Sandefur, was killed flying the helicopter. They made sure to pay tribute to him by placing an image of him in the window.
The memorial is set to be completed over the next couple of weeks. A dedication ceremony will be held June 14, starting at 9 a.m.
