CALDWELL, Idaho — On a plot of dirt in the Idaho Veterans Garden, footprints leave a mark for the future: a statue honoring Carrie French, the first Idaho woman to give her life in combat.
The Idaho Women Veterans Memorial is nearing completion. On Monday, the Idaho Veterans Garden received a check for more than $20,000 to help finish the monument.
French, a Caldwell native, was killed in combat in Iraq in 2005. Her story and service to our country resonated with local sculptor Benjamin Victor, who is working to complete the memorial.
"To think of everything that that Carrie did with her service, and all the lives she touched in her short life, and just how moving and powerful that story is," Victor said. "As a sculptor, I couldn't be more inspired."
Victor learned about French after reading 'Marbles,' a story written by Marisa McCarter, a friend of French who was deployed in Iraq alongside her.
"It's just so moving," Victor said. "And such a wonderful true story of their friendship."
The statue represents camaraderie and friendship, featuring French and her friend sharing a lunch together. The memorial will sit at the Idaho Veterans Garden in Caldwell.
"Carrie was actually one of the guiding angels of this whole mission," Idaho Veterans Garden Founder Danny Pugmire said.
Pugmire said the garden is a place of peace - centered around healing, community, and celebrating the lives of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
"We'll never forget who they are," Pugmire said. "Because that's the biggest fear of all the fallen soldiers' families is that we'll forget their son or daughter's name. Here, you won't forget it."
On Monday, the City of Caldwell presented the Idaho Veterans Garden with a check for more than $20,000, money raised from Caldwell's 4th of July activities, to help complete the monument for the local hero.
"She graduated from Caldwell High School," Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner said. "So, to have this here to honor her legacy, and every woman who has served in the military from the state of Idaho - to have this here in Caldwell is very special for all of us here."
A mark for the future, honoring those who fought in our past.
"I think it will be a time and a place here in Idaho, in a small community, where people can come from all over the state and remember their loved ones," Victor said. "And see these gardens for the loved ones that that died, and that that gave the ultimate price in their service for our country."
The monument has been in the works for more than a year. Pugmire said the recent donation puts the garden very close to having the memorial fully funded.
To help with the final push for fundraising, Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner and Chief of Police Rex Ingram will participate in the Polar Bear Plunge Dunk Tank on Nov. 17 to raise money for the memorial.
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