CUT OFF, La. – Along LA 3235 in Lafourche Parish, you will find the crowned jewel of Cut-Off.
11 acres of history and home to the Veterans Memorial District of Ward 10
“2005 was the first board meeting here and it has been progressing ever since. We operate on a tax from this area only in the 10th ward area from the intercostal canal to south of the parish line,” says President and Chairman of the Board, Kurt Van Chouest.
A self-imposed .93 millage, agreed upon by local taxpayers, that funds the district and it’s veterans memorial honoring all South Lafourche veterans who’ve served their country.
Their names forever enshrined on the wall.
“We’ve got people from the revolutionary war named on this wall to now. We’ve got over 3,800 names on the wall and everyone who has served honorably in uniform can be put on this wall from this area and is put on this wall,” added Chouest.
Beyond the wall to the left lies an elegant water fountain honoring the Navy.
Go back even farther, and you’ll see the Field of Tears.
A gated area devoted specifically to local soldiers killed in action, and home to a personal favorite for veterans like Robert Huth, the Purple Heart Monument.
“The Purple Heart to me represents the price of freedom. It’s the blood, the sweat, the tears…. There’s a special part there that means everything to me,” says Huth.
Huth is a Vietnam War veteran, thankful to have a place to escape and remember.
When talking about the memorial, Huth says, “This place is everything to me. When the stress of the world or watching too much of the commotion that’s on TV, I come over here to destress. It lets me believe in the past and see that there’s a future because the people that built this are leaving something behind when they pass for the next generation to understand and continue forward with.”
The future of the memorial is expansion, beyond the Field of Tears.
“We are still working on our Purple Heart Monument. We will have a list of names of everyone who received a Purple Heart on that wall. We are going to build a retention pond and a picnic area and play areas for the kids to enjoy.”
A place for everyone to enjoy.
The price of entry, your time.
Members of the Veterans Memorial District of Ward 10 say that the memorial occupies 11 of its 27-acre lot of land.
While 90% of the district and the memorial is funded by the self-imposed tax, the remaining 10% is funded by donations made by the community.
Members say that there is ample space for the community to come out and enjoy the memorial in a socially distant manner.
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