A timeline of honor: Bedford sidewalk to commemorate veterans

BEDFORD, Pa. (WTAJ) — A grove that works to remember all those who served from Bedford County is adding a new memorial for even more soldiers.

The grove, which showcases statues and monuments from many different wars in American history, plates names of soldiers who have served in that particular war. It’s located across Penn Street from the Bedford County Courthouse, and it was started by a group called “The League of Pretty Good Guys” back in 2012.

After erecting monuments from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, they realized an error in their plans.

“It occurred to use that there were not a lot of places to recognize our veterans that just generally served,” Dennis Tice, a member of the League of Pretty Good Guys said.

Then, the idea came to give these soldiers a memorial. They decided to make a sidewalk using bricks, each of which is dedicated to a veteran.

The walkway, projected to be about 84 feet long, runs from the sidewalk off Penn St. toward the fork that veers off to either the Bedford Post Office or S. Juliana St.

“It’s a timeline that starts back in 1775 and goes through modern day,” Tice said. “Along that timeline, there will be every veteran killed in any of America’s wars will be listed. There’s going to be about 886 total veterans who died during our wars, and then also feature bricks people are buying for their ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary, Civil War and Korea.”

Each brick that families buy costs $150 to have done, but the bricks that have veterans who were killed in action were found through extensive research by the group. So far, over 600 bricks for veterans who died while serving have come from the Civil War era.

“I don’t have the funds for them right now,” Tice said. “To buy those 600 engraved bricks, clay pavers is going to run us about $22,000.”

People have been walking by the sign that advertised the walkway for over a year and have purchased bricks for their loved ones to be commemorated

Veterans who walked by the project have even show their appreciation for what the league is doing.

“A lot of vets come by and say ‘Hey, that’s nice. you guys did this.’,” Tice said. “And we say ‘You’re welcome. Thanks for what you did.'”

Once the project is completed in the next couple of weeks, residents can walk across and see the different stories of all the Bedford residents who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters .

“I want kids to be able to look and see who gave up their lives in World War II, who lost their life in Korea and the Civil War,” Tice said. “That’s part of the point of it. It’s remembering our history and making it very visible to the public.”

To learn more about the Veterans Walk or how to purchase a brick, visit their website .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.