ATKINSON, N.H. (AP) – A court battle over where to place two stone tablets listing the names of the town’s Vietnam War veterans has been resolved in mediation.
The town has had a modest Vietnam War memorial between two flagpoles in front of Town Hall for more than 15 years, but it did not list individual veterans.
During a town vote in 2005, voters approved the creation of two memorial tablets listing more than 70 Vietnam-era veterans to be placed beside the original stone. But they also approved another warrant article saying the tablets could not be placed between the flagpoles.
The Citizens Vietnam Honor Roll Committee asked that the tablets be placed outside the flagpoles on either side of the original memorial, but two of three selectmen voted to place them off to the side of Town Hall, saying most voters did not want the original memorial altered.
The tablets were dedicated on Veterans Day 2005 in front of Town Hall, but were not installed. Carol Grant, head of the committee, sued the town, saying the selectmen were not honoring the town vote.
Trial was scheduled for February, but in mediation earlier this month, the selectmen, veterans and members of the committee agreed the stones would be placed in front of the town Historical Society building near memorials from other wars. The selectmen also agreed to erect and pay for a duplicate of the original Vietnam memorial at that site.
Selectman Paul Sullivan, who was not in office when the dispute started, said everyone was comfortable with the solution.
But Grant said she was skeptical.
“The selectmen did not honor Town Meeting vote and I do not believe they can be trusted to honor the terms of this stipulation, either,” she said. “Not only is a duplicate map stone a bad idea, but I don’t think (they) can be trusted to come up with the money.”
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