October 14, 2017, is the date set for the dedication of the new Stoughton Area Veterans Memorial Park (SAVMP). The SAVMP, is a joint effort by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 328 and American Legion Post 59, both of Stoughton. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., rain or shine.  Duane Broughton, a veteran of the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and general chairman of the SAVMP project, will be the keynote speaker and the Stoughton High School Band will perform patriotic music before, during and after the ceremony.

Located on a three-acre plot at the corner of Highway B and Country Club Road, just North of Stoughton, this $1 million memorial will become a destination point for many.  After three years of design and construction, the beautifully landscaped park incorporates many unique features:

• Beneath an ornamental wrought iron archway supported by granite pillars is a promenade with flags of the six branches of the U.S. military flying on 20-foot poles.
• Twelve pillars with text and engraved images depicting significant events in the history of the U.S. military line the outside of the promenade.
• Inlaid in the promenade are pavers recognizing veterans from all branches of service.
• Within the promenade are 38 granite benches for people to sit, reflect and contemplate on a big portion of U.S. military history.
• The center of the park is a pentagonal-shaped area surrounded by VFW, American Legion, POW/MIA, and State of Wisconsin flags, anchored by the American flag on a 22-foot pole.
• A bronze statue of an American eagle sits atop a large, pentagonal centerpiece that lists the names of 176 Stoughton-area service men and women who were killed in action.
• A series of black granite markers engraved with the names of more than 5,500 Stoughton-area veterans who have served in the U.S. military radiate from the centerpiece.