The Pahrump Town Board approved the formation of a Veterans Memorial Advisory Board last Tuesday.

Chairman Laurayne Murray, who proposed the panel, said she felt the memorial was a public project and as such should remain in control of a public board open to community input.

"I'm suggesting that because it's a public property, that it's owned by the citizens and taxpayers of Pahrump, that in order to move it forward that we keep it in the public realm for maintenance and oversight," Murray explained. "I would like to see an oversight board that is transparent to the public (and) that conducts meetings in public, that has bylaws, policies and procedures that are established with public comment."

The chairman pointed out that other public facilities, such as the arena and local parks, are all subject to oversight by independent advisory boards.

The board would interact not only with the community, Murray said, but with the town maintenance and grounds crew as well to ensure the memorial's upkeep.

Furthermore, apparently referring to recent controversy over the town leasing a building on the memorial to the Support Your Soldiers in Need Foundation to build a veterans museum, Murray indicated an advisory board might help alleviate controversy and reconcile differences among various veterans groups.

"It's my feeling that issue has gotten sideways with private involvement and personality and organizational discrepancies," Murray said.

The idea was met with a wide range of support, as almost immediately after her initial comments a long line of veterans, from various wars and branches of the military, lined up at the podium and began offering oral resumes and volunteering to be on the board.

Jose Telles, Marine Corps veteran who helped bring the memorial project to fruition told the board about his earning a Silver Star during the Vietnam War.

Telles also thanked Matt Luis, director of building and grounds, for choosing him to help make Luis' vision of a memorial a reality.

Telles promised the board that if chosen for the committee, he would ensure that the veterans were a continued part of the memorial's ongoing development.

Several more veterans also gave impressive lists of credentials

"I'm one of the few survivors of the Guadalcanal invasion 65 years ago, so these young people that are talking now, I appreciate them," Bill Dawson said. "I have a very strong feeling about the veterans memorial, and I would be more than happy to do anything that they find that I can."

Not everyone who spoke was a veteran, however, but even those who hadn't served their country in the military advocated a veteran-controlled board.

"I'm not a veteran, but I applaud these people for doing what they're doing," George Gingel said. "I think if you're going to set up an advisory board, it should be strictly veterans, because who better understands how to honor the people that have been gone."

Gingel added that "no crooked politicians should be on the advisory board" and volunteered his services if non-veterans were invited aboard.

A younger voice was heard among the advocating voices as well when Jim Scott, a volunteer who helped lay bricks for the memorial's wall, addressed the board.

Scott told the board about how, when he and his brothers were building the wall, a fellow veteran, Ed Hensen (who Scott described as "twice my age, maybe three times over") was still laying blocks when everyone else was taking a break.

"I don't know how he did it, but when you think about it, I know why he did it," Scott said. "Because that's his next home. And I would like you guys to really, really think about that."

Scott reminded the board of the importance of the memorial as a part of the community.

"This isn't just something that we might have -- a parade at (every) once in while, maybe throw a couple of flags around," Scott said. "This is a place that has been neglected for a really long time. I went to high school here and I didn't even know the place existed, I didn't know those plaques existed. And when I went over there to help put up the wall, those broken flags on the ground made me want to throw up."

Scott thanked the board for considering the advisory board and walked away from the podium to much applause.