Soldotna City Council unanimously passed the resolution declaring support of the Soldotna VFW Post’ installation of an “Iron Mike” statue in the Soldotna Creek Park.
Iron Mike is a de facto name of monuments honoring service men and women and the statue would be placed atop the current veterans memorial in the park.
Post Commander Mike Meredith was at the meeting when the resolution passed.
Meredith: “Well to see that it’s a statue that was put on top of the monument, the City Council’s went along with us so good on this, and it was a community effort. It wasn’t just the VFW, it was everyone. I’m so proud of them that they made that and then to get this topped off with the statue, it’ll be beautiful.”
Meredith added that with some combination of sponsors, donations, and fundraisers the VFW plans to raise the estimated $48,000 it would cost to have the statue created by a metal sculpture artist in Girdwood.
Local Veteran Herb Stettler has also been heavily involved in the process and he described the statue as fashioned after one outside of Fort Bragg, made of bronze, standing about five feet high, and weighing nearly a ton.
