Whitney Downard / The Meridian StarThis empty lot on Highway 11, located between M Street and the Mississippi Air National Guard, seen at right, is the propsed spot for a future veterans park to honor people in East Mississippi who have served in the military. 

After seeing city after city announce veterans park plans with the RF-4C Phantom II jet, an aircraft that saw combat in conflicts such as Vietnam and Desert Storm, veteran Jeff Summerlin thought, “Why not Meridian?”

“This plane was almost ready to be chopped up,” Summerlin said. “And there’s so much history around Key Field.”

Working quickly to save one of the last jets from a metal recycler, Summerlin and the Meridian Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12124 asked the Meridian City Council to sign a letter of intent, asking for the plane to be reserved for display in Meridian.

“If it hadn’t been for them it would be dead in the water,” Summerlin, a native of Meridian currently living in Virginia, said. 

Summerlin described a proposed park that would have four distinct sections: the jet itself, a pentagon-shaped plaza, a freedom walkway and a wall of remembrance. 

“It’s a memorial honoring all men and women of the 186th,” Summerlin said. “Hopefully it’ll show that freedom is not free … maybe even inspire some of the younger generations to follow in the footsteps of another relative who served.”

The Phantom jet has a distinct connection to Key Field and the Air National Guard in Meridian. For nearly a decade in the 80s and 90s, the aircraft flew from Key Field as part of the 186th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. A plaque on the jet itself will honor four men who served in Meridian and died during accidents involving the Phantom in the late 80s. 

The armed forces plaza will bear the flags of each service branch: Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines, as well as a plaque briefly describing the history of each branch. 

The freedom walkway will have 12 pillars for each of America’s historic conflicts along with the number of lives lost, leading to the wall of remembrance, which will be inscribed with the names of East Mississippians who served. 

Summerlin said that the park had a proposed budget of $200,000, with $75,000 dedicated solely to transporting the Phantom jet from the “boneyard” in Arizona to Meridian. 

“Once we have the $75,000 we’ll get started on moving,” Summerlin said. 

The proposed location, two-and-a-half acres south of M Street along Highway 11, just before the entrance to Key Field, must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration before the airport can formally offer the property for the park. Tom Williams, who manages the Meridian Regional Airport, couldn’t be immediately reached to confirm this detail.

Summerlin said he hoped that local businesses, civil organizations and individuals would help raise funds for the park, maybe even volunteer with the VFW, which would lead fundraising efforts, to solicit donations. 

The VFW plans to open the park on Memorial Day of 2019, with the management of the park being handled by a non-profit foundation independent of city needs. 

“We’re trying to honor veterans and educate the people of East Mississippi,” Summerlin said. 

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/east-mississippi-veterans-memorial or contact VFW post 12124 at (601) 282-5866.