Vets memorial event brings in nearly $37K

The planned Hampton Veterans Memorial Park took a big step forward in its fundraising Saturday night when nearly 150 people turned out from near and far for a meal and program at the City Auditorium. After tallying up the receipts from the event, committee member Danielle Bamesberger said on Monday that a total of $36,854 was brought in from the event before expenses, toward the project’s overall goal of $350,000. 
The event featured gun raffles, a silent auction, a roast beef dinner served by the Hampton FFA, entertainment during dinner by the Habitat 4 Harmony quartet from Kearney and a speech by Navy and Army Dan Kuester of Elgin. 
At various times during the evening, drawings were held for the guns being raffled off, and all but one of the winners donated their prize back to have it auctioned off by master of ceremonies Deryl Hilligas. The first winner in a table raffle, TDLC, donated the commemorative gold engraved Henry rifle back to be auctioned and it brought in another $1,800. Steve Driewer later won a handgun which he donated back and then purchased at auction for $900. 
In introducing Kuester, Hilligas noted that the Elgin High School graduate had enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a young man, serving for four years. Following his Navy service, Hilligas said Kuester had enlisted in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2002 after 23 years of service. He also noted that during his time serving in Washington, D.C., Kuester had participated in the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. 
During his speech Kuester said, “In a time when division often dominates the headlines, we’re gathered here today to remember what truly unites us; a deep respect for those who serve and a shared responsibility to lead with courage and integrity.”
Coming from a large family, many of whom have served and are serving in the military, Kuester said he was eager to serve his country, noting that his Navy service had given him the opportunity to see much of the world before he was 20 years old. 
“Get involved in your community; things that are bigger than you,” Kuester urged his audience. 
He also paid tribute to two men with whom he had served – SSG Larry Weaver and PO 2nd Class Booker T. Washington – both of whom had made the ultimate sacrifice, dying in accidents while in the service. 
“Military members serve and defend their nation, protect its interests and uphold its values, often sacrificing personal desires for the greater good and the cause of freedom,” he said. 
Kuester also took time to discuss the ripple effect (what he called the “butterfly effect”) of an individual’s military service. In so doing, he showed a slide containing the military service photos of his mother and father, both of whom served in WWII. He said his mother, an Army nurse, and his father who had served as a carpenter, met in Germany and then decided to leave the military so they could get married. He said they came home to Nebraska where they raised 11 children, several of whom, like himself, had served in the armed forces. 
“Their favorite holiday was July 4,” he said. 
Referencing a veterans park that was built in the village of Clearwater, where 17 of his veteran relatives’ names were etched in stone, Kuester said such memorials can have a positive impact on future generations of Americans. 
“When I see Hampton wanting to put a park together because of the vision of a Vietnam veteran who thinks it would be an honorable thing to do for the community, folks, I agree,” he said. “This is one of those legacies that needs to be built... I look at these veterans parks as the Arlington Cemetery of your community.”
Kuester went on to say that the soldiers and sailors from Hampton who had died in combat had “sacrificed the same” as those who lie buried at Arlington.  
“These little parks are your Arlington Cemetery,” he continued. “These are the folks who had the courage to go and fight for their country. That’s kind of how I look at it.”
Speaking of the late Roger Bamesberger who first proposed the idea of a veterans memorial in Hampton, Kuester noted he had been a Vietnam veteran and an entrepreneur and was “involved with just about everything in the community.” 
“Folks, that’s what communities are made of,” Kuester said.   
He concluded his remarks by saying, “This is what it’s about, folks. If you can make this little park up here, I’m telling you it’s such a reward for the community and for the families of the veterans that are here, all of the veterans that are here... Make a difference in the community. Get involved in the things that are bigger than you!” 
Hampton’s veterans memorial is planned for a vacant lot on the south side of the city hall on 3rd Street, and it is hoped that construction can begin sometime next year. According to Danielle Bamesberger, approximately $74,000 has been raised so far and another $40,000 has been pledged toward the project.