By: Lucas Chi

Olivia, Minnesota, is a small town known for being the “corn capital of the world” and is also home to many veterans or people with veteran roots. When 17-year-old Dominique Claseman found that his town didn’t have a veteran’s memorial, he began to take action.

Claseman’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all served in the military. He described his family roots in the military as “never-ending.”

He thought about all of this when he was choosing his Eagle Scout project and decided that he was going to build a memorial. Supported by his dad, who is the scoutmaster of his troop, he wanted to go big or go home.

He looked at many different memorials of the towns next to him and made a simple design consisting of 21 boot steps and pavers, with a main stone with flags. He estimated the project would cost 15,000 dollars, so he began fundraising money.

He spoke at many different events and launched flyers. His community liked the idea. In total, he was able to raise 77,777 dollars! Because he raised a lot more money than he needed, he upgraded the design to fit his budget. The final product was finished and revealed to the public on Memorial Day.

Almost everybody in the entire town came to see the ceremony. Many had lost family members in the military and were glad to see that their names were shown on the pavers. Everyone thanked Claseman and even told him about their relationships with people in the army. Kim Wertish came right up to him and hugged him. She had a son James that served in the military and unfortunately was killed. His name is now etched onto the pavers in the memorial.

Domonique Claseman’s memorial shows that no matter how old you are, how small your town is, you can always make a difference in your world.