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The long-awaited memorial to the Middletown area's verterans is quickly taking form and - thanks to a nationally known artist - will surely become a point of pride for the city and a monument that will draw many people to Middletown for decades to come.

The local committee that has been working on this project - intended to honor all veterans from Middletown, Monroe, Trenton, Jacksonburg and the townships of Lemon, Madison and Liberty - this week approved a design for the memorial.

Artist Mort Künstler, widely regarded for his historical artwork (especially Civil War scenes), has designed a montage of some of his many works, as well as new images created for the Middletown project, that will be engraved with laser technology into the granite wall that will be the centerpiece of the memorial at Woodside Cemetery. The names of area veterans who have died in the line of duty will also be etched in the stone.

We have seen images of Künstler's planned design - we published one on Page B1 on Wednesday - and they are stunning. We anticipate that once it is erected and unveiled, Middletown area residents will take great pride in this lasting and moving tribute to our veterans.

Current plans call for the memorial to be unveiled at Woodside on the Fourth of July, which will make this Independence Day one for the local history books.

Of course, the dedication, committment and fund-raising abilities of the veterans memorial commitee - more than 30 area residents led by 12th District Court of Appeals Judge Anthony Valen - are to be applauded. The committee has pursued this dream for years and dealt with many challenges over that time, including the sad loss of its fundraising committee chairman, Robert Grimes, who died in January. We're sure his contributions to the project will be recognized at the July 4 service.

Despite the $160,000 raised so far, Valen says another $25,000 is needed to complete the memorial, and donations may be made through the Middletown Community Foundation. We trust the veterans committee will be able to raise that amount over the coming weeks - as more area residents get glimpses of the historical landmark that will be unveiled on July 4.

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