Irate vets hit plan to relocate arch; Town ponders new site for WWI memorial

It should stay where it is located now.

I grew up in Whitman. I recall the structure in question only in a limited fashion because, heck, it's not in a spot where people can easily visit it with family and contemplate it.
The arch would get far more visitors who would subsequently learn about the sacrifices of these soldiers if it were located in the town park. The park is the perfect place for it.
All of this "must stay", "cannot be moved" opinion strikes me as pointless emotionalism and fear of change. If one of my relative's names was on that arch, I'd have no objection to it moving to the park. It is a commemorative, not a tombstone. Nobody is buried there, and therefore moving it dishonors nobody.
Heck if they were talking about moving it to the dump or something, then we'd have something to complain about. It seems to me the town is thinking of moving it to someplace *nicer*, someplace where a monument of this importance can be appreciated by more people. Shouldn't it stand in a public gathering place rather than somewhere where blaring sirens are constantly going off as fire trucks and ambulances drive through it?
Instead of accusing the town of trying to "tear it down" and melodramatically threatening to lie in front of it under a flag, these vets should be working with the town to ensure the arch is moved with the proper respect it deserves to a location that better befits it.
It's either that or remove the fire station, armory and the homes and businesses around the arch and create a new town green for it on its current location. This is clearly impractical and doesn't make a lot of sense for one obvious reason--it is the arch that is special, not its location.

I grew up in Whitman and used to march in those same parades. I can remember going to the cemeteries and looking at the old veterans graves from many of our wars and being thankful, also the statues and other memorials around the town, to include the lone forgotten one for the 54th in the center by I think it was a sports store or something like that.

I am the Great Grand Son of a WWI Vet, the Grand Son of 3 WWII vets (Grandmother was an Army Nurse), the son of a 24 year vet, and I am currently in my 16th year and a multiple tour vet of OIF and OEF,

I remember growing up with Mr. O'Roake's kids and I respected that quiet man quite a lot (or at least I think it is the same Gregory O'Roake since he was in the Army and his son shares the name). He was quite but I still held him with much esteem due to his veteran status and being a good and kind man, actually they were a great family. He is right about the monument.

I am not sure if I will go back there after I retire in a few years due to many reasons such as this one. I guess it means nothing to that town anymore since that is the same town where I had a teacher tell me my father was a coward and a murderer for being an infantryman during Vietnam! Same school system had a school councilor ask me if I wanted to get a real profession or get a dead end job like my father did. I bet both still work at WH

Yep it looks like the Whitman I left is the same old town. Liberal, military hating, and a few elitist running the show with a corrupt group in town hall. I will never take my children back there to be raised, since they might have teachers to talk trash about their fathers military service. I believe it was Mr. Resnick and I forget the other guys name in the councilors office who called me a future oppressor and murderer when I said I was going to join the military. I may have the name wrong but it was well known at Whitman-Hanson they hated the military.