319th recruiters help fund NH Air Force memorial Published June 25, 2008 By Senior Master Sgt. Bob Barrett 319th Recruiting Squadron first sergeant PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Members of the 319th Recruiting Squadron here are doing their part to help fund the New Hampshire Air Force memorial. Squadron members collected more than $1,000 through personal donations after receiving a request from retired Chief Master Sgt. Richard Dolbec, Air Force Sergeants Association Chapter 155 president, in fall 2007 to support the memorial. According to Mr. Dolbec, the memorial is under construction inside the State Veterans Cemetery. It will be similar to the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C., as the design includes three 26-foot stainless steel spires on a granite base. "The memorial honors all Air Force enlisted, officers and civilians. It is the result of a partnership between the New Hampshire chapters of the Air Force Association and the Air Force Sergeants Association," said Chief Master Sgt. Roger Sirois, 319th Squadron superintendent. "[We] thought it was important to donate to such a worthy cause," he said. "The cemetery is the final resting place for hundreds of veterans, and the memorial will pay tribute to the Airmen who served their country." Mr. Dolbec, also a member of the New Hampshire Air Force Memorial Committee, said four members from AFSA and four members from AFA now comprise the committee, chaired by retired Maj. Gen. Joe Simeone. The committee has raised more than $125,000 of the $150,000 needed to complete the memorial. Upon completion of the memorial the committee is planning to build a meditation area nearby with granite benches, pavers and landscaping. People will be able to purchase a paver and have it engraved for a monetary donation to be determined at a later date. Funds raised will be used to maintain the memorial and meditation area. The memorial is expected to be dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2008.