THE VETERANS' PRESS: Hearts of Bronze: Idaho State Veterans Cemetery
We drive slowly, passing the granite markers — firmly uniform in their placement. They remind me of soldiers standing at attention. As we climb the hill and turn the corner, we are blessed with a magnificent view. Flying free and proud, Old Glory stands guard over the rugged foothills and the 76.5 acres of hallowed ground.
This is the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, which opened in 2004 and, to date, is the final resting place for more than 10,000 service men and women, including three Medal of Honor veterans. Brandon Titus, a soldier from Boise, killed in the war in Iraq, was the first to be buried at the cemetery.
I was born and raised on a farm in southern Idaho, and have visited the cemetery many times. On this particular visit, I wanted to get close and personal with the statue that had been unveiled and dedicated in May 2021. Reporting for Channel 2 news in Boise, Trevor Fay interviewed both former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who spearheaded the project; and sculptor Benjamin Victor. In addition to this work, Victor is the only living sculptor to have three statues on display in the U.S. Capitol Building.
The statue, says Fay, shows a male soldier kneeling in prayer with the dog tags of his comrades in his hands, while a female soldier rests her hand on his back and looks south across the valley, alert for danger. Victor, who works and lives in Boise, says the theme is “having your back. It took about a year to make the piece. And it’s two life-sized figures, so it wasn’t a quick process, obviously, and there was a lot of research involved. I used the real uniforms to look at and measure off of to sculpt and make sure everything on the sculpture was accurate.”
The man wears a uniform from the Vietnam War era, while the woman wears clothing from the Gulf War. Both figures of the statue have bronze hearts inside of them. The hearts are filled with soil from the fields of American wars.
As I circle the statue, I notice several pennies have been placed at the feet of the soldiers … indicating that someone (veteran or civilian) has visited this site, or grave. Coins are often left on the headstones — a nickel would signify that the coin-leaver attended boot camp with the veteran. A dime signifies that the coin-leaver served with the veteran in some capacity. A quarter — the visitor was present when the veteran died.
My paperwork is on file and secure at this cemetery. Someday I will be at peace with the wind and the windflowers; overlooking my beautiful Idaho. I take one last look at this Treasure Valley, then turn to the solid bronze soldiers, salute, and place a penny at their feet.
Learn more here: www.idaho.veterans.gov/cemetery or www.washington.veterans.gov/cemetery
