By Bruce Karnick

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Building a monument to honor fallen heroes is, well, a monumental task. Hundreds of hours of planning, countless meetings, dozens of vendors and sleepless nights lead up to that moment of realization. The moment of “we did that”. Shane Hudella and his staff at the United Heroes League are approaching that moment.

“Things are happening so fast now, it’s exciting to see the progress. Our vendors have been great even with all the COVID related issues,” explained Hudella.

The goal is to have as much done in the next two weeks before the fundraising gala that UHL hosts each year. That gala is scheduled to take place at the end of September which will include a military presentation of a giant US flag and the first ever raising of that flag at the monument.

“It’s gonna be so cool,” added Hudella. “The flag we received as a donation is one of those huge flags like Perkin’s flies. You should see it and the monument from any flights that go overhead from MSP.”

It is clear that Hudella is like a kid at Christmas with the excitement he has for this monument and the 10-year plan he has for the property. A plan that includes major building upgrades for better distribution of sports equipment to military families, and facilities they can use to host sports camps for those same families.

There is still room on the wall if you have a loved one you would like to honor. Head over to www.unitedheroesleague. org to download the donation form.

The Heroes Monument has three walls that are 60 feet long in the shape of the UHL logo. The middle of the star will have the flagpole and it will be surrounded by red flowers beginning next spring. The concrete is in, next will be electrical for the flag and memorial lights, then black dirt will be moved in once the surrounding landscaping is properly graded. Photo submitted.