Veterans Memorial Park dedicated in Alpharetta

The grove of trees standing between the tank and the helicopter could easily accommodate a path, a Walk of Remembrance, Wages said at the time. So he started to work on it. Then the idea of memorial bricks came up.

Now among the some 25,000 bricks that comprise The Walk, 7,000 of them mark Georgians who have died. Another 1,500 bricks have been memorialized in some way.

Wages said the idea behind his vision was simply to give veterans and their families a quiet place that honored veterans and also gave them a place for quiet reflection and thought. This goal has been accomplished.

At the dedication ceremony Gov. Sonny Perdue's representative, Roger Wise Jr., gave Wages his due.

"J.R. is just one of those guys who has a way of making things happen. In the military, every company has a go-to guy who knew everybody, who to talk to and where to go find what was needed.

"Well, that certainly has been J.R. at Post 201. He is the go-to guy for Veterans Memorial Park," said Wise.

In presenting Wages with a gubernatorial Certificate of Appreciation, it ended in the governor's own words, "Job well done."

Wages had enlisted in the Navy in 1943 somewhat deceptively at the age of 16. He served until war's end and was discharged. But he decided he liked the military life, but decided to go for the Army this time.

He eventually served tours in Korea and Vietnam, 23 years in all with the Army. Despite holding many responsible positions including command of Nike and Hercules missile batteries, getting the Memorial Park done may be the biggest job Wages has undertaken. Donations and in-kind donations for the park are estimated at $250,000. And now Wages can sit back and admire it - maybe.

"It surprises me how good it looks now," Wages said after the dedication. "But what we need now is a World War II memorial . . ."
- www.northfulton.com

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