CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Local veteran groups are working with the City of Corpus Christi to help recognize the city's naval traditions. Their goal is to bring a statue identical to one at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC to the city's bayfront.
The 'Lone Sailor' is an iconic image which represents the honor of the sea services.
The groups are working to bring one of these statues to Corpus Christi by the end of the year. The proposed location is at Bayfront Park, along Shoreline Boulevard, between the old Port of Corpus Christi building and the American Bank Center.
When built, the statue will be one of 18 Lone Sailor Memorials, and the first official publicly accessible one in Texas. There is a Lone Sailor statue in Dallas, but it was privately dedicated and is on private property.
Stakeholders say Bayfront Park makes a better location for the statue than Sherrill Park for several reasons.
“One of the key things that the Navy Memorial likes is to have an unrestricted view of the water,” said Howard Schauer of VFW Post 8932. “The other is that it's an honorable location, which this is a very honorable location.”
A third requirement is for the area to be accessible to persons with disabilities.
The seven-foot tall, bronze statue will be funded by donations. Stakeholders say they already have one “substantial” donation and will soon be soliciting for public donations.
The target date for dedicating the statue is October 13, the U.S. Navy's 247th birthday.
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