Gander memorial to be expanded

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Fort Campbell's Gander Memorial Park is set to undergo renovations that will enlarge the park and make it more accessible to visitors.

Bob Jenkins, public affairs director at Fort Campbell, said the worry with the memorial now is that the trees are in a "state of distress."

"The trees are competing for water, for space, for their roots to expand and for their branches to expand," Jenkins said. "As a result, we run the risk of losing the entire memorial."

Expansion plans include moving some of the trees to spaces north of the memorial that would allow for the trees to be planted at least 40 feet apart instead of their current 20 feet.. The expanded park would include walking paths, markers, maps and benches and serve as the centerpiece for all of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's memorials, Jenkins said.

The park was initially built after 1985 plane crash in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, that killed 248 soldiers returning home from a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Peninsula.

Janice Nikkel, a 15-year-old living outside of Toronto, wrote her local paper stating she'd like to donate her money to a memorial. Not long after, a nursery in Canada caught on to her letter and donated the 248 Canadian sugar maples that were planted at the memorial.

Each tree also has a plaque in front of it with the name of a soldier killed in the crash.

"What they want to do is keep the original intent in place — to honor all those that were killed," Jenkins said. "The fact those trees represent those that lost their lives, families have taken a real ownership of the tree that bears the name of their relative (that was) lost."

30 years later, families share vivid memories of Gander

Jenkins added that the goal is to try save as many of the current trees as possible, but will not be easy because they've been growing there for so long.

"Because the root structure is the way it is, it’s difficult to simply remove one tree," Jenkins said. "You don’t know if you’ll affect the tree next to it."

The goal is not to remove the memorial, but to find a way to preserve it. Families had been talking about preserving the memorial for awhile, Jenkins said, but official plans to renovate it were first shared with families last month when the 2nd BCT marked the 30th anniversary of the crash.

"Unless some sort of action was taken, we run the risk of losing the memorial," Jenkins said. "That’s not an acceptable option."

The Division of Public Works at Fort Campbell and the 2nd BCT will be in charge of the memorial's renovation and upkeep, Jenkins said. The renovation plan is also just in the beginning stages. Completion of the new memorial won't happen for about another 5 to 10 years.

"On a milestone anniversary like 30 years, we felt it was important to bring it to the families’ attention of the need to preserve the memorial rather than have it die off," Jenkins said.

Reach Ray Howze at 931-245-0750 or on Twitter @rayhowze_leaf.