NORMAN — The names of more than 200 Richmond County veterans are etched in stone in the Field of Honor, unveiled late Saturday morning.
The veterans memorial was the idea of former resident-turned-restaurateur Donald Simmons, owner of Magnolia 23 in Asheboro — though he had wanted to remain anonymous.
“One night, about a year ago, a man walked into our council meeting and shared with us that he had a dream, a dream of building in his home town of Norman a Field of Honor,” recounted Councilman Terry Parsons.
Not only did Simmons conceptualize the monument, but he also paid for it.
The council approved the project at its May 2023 meeting and held a groundbreaking in March 2024 at the site next to the Norman Stage behind Town Hall.
Councilmembers sold the spaces for the names at $2.50 per letter.
“Some people jumped right on it,” Parsons said, adding that they wanted their loved ones listed on the memorial.
“So from this day on, this is a place to visit our loved ones forever,” said Parsons.
The Field of Honor features a monument with names of local veterans who served in the Army and National Guard, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. Those names were read aloud by members of the Norman Field of Honor Committee.
The brick front includes the seals of the military branches, as well as those of the town and the Order of the Purple Heart. Perched upon each of the front corners is an eagle.
Two concrete benches sit behind the monument, with a nearby plaque reading that the flagpole was donated by Ellerbe High School’s Class of 1970. There are also two small waterfalls in the back corners.
There are currently more than 240 names on the block of stone, and Parsons said the town is starting another list for names to be added.
Sitting in front of the Field of Honor is a memorial casket in honor of Lonnie Hoopaugh and James E. Goins.
For his efforts, Simmons was honored with a key to the town.
“This is a pleasure and a great honor to do this,” Simmons said. “I never forget my hometown, no matter where I go.
“My daddy used to say, ‘Never forget where you come from, because if you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know where you’re going,’” Simmons continued. “And we’re going in the right direction.”
The ceremony, which lasted a little more than an hour, started with presentation of the colors by the Raider Battalion Army JROTC color guard and a rifle salute by AMVETS Post 316.
Following the unveiling of both memorials, Baylee Atkins rode a horse across the field carrying a flag from each branch of service. Atkins handed off the flags to JROTC cadets, who then passed them on to a veteran of the respective branches to position around the monument to Hoopaugh and Goins.
Jace Reid Burroughs also performed three songs during the ceremony: “The Star Spangled Banner,” Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” and Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets.”
Speakers for the ceremony were Col. Douglas Boyd and Command Sgt. Major Thomas Capel, both natives of northern Richmond County and Army veterans.
See two albums with nearly 300 photos from the ceremony on the RO’s Facebook page.
