Meyer responsible for Krinkelt monument, Remagen plaque
Like many others, it was a shock to me to receive the Checkerboard and learn for the first time that Bill Meyer had died.
Very few 99'ers are aware that today there would be no beautiful monument in the Twin Villages or a bronze plaque on the western tower at the Remagen Bridge if it were not for Bill Meyer raising all the money to pay for these.
Here is my story:
My wife and I went to our first convention in 1989 in Dallas TX. I brought along pictures of a beautiful granite monument recently erected high in the Colorado Rockies by the famed 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale between Leadville and the Vail ski area, where they had trained before going to Italy.
At the board meeting in Dallas, I said we should do the same. The board gave me approval to undertake this project with Bill Meyer as my co-chairman and said we could not get one single penny from the association treasury.
Only with Will Cavanagh's help did we get permission from the mayor and other politicians to put the monument in the small park at Krinkelt-Rocherath. All these politicians were Germans of German ancestry, living in Belgium.
Will directed me to Mr. Dandrifosse in Malmedy who said the monument would cost $15,000. Bill Meyer single-handedly raised $26,000 quickly. Since we had $11,000 more than we needed, Bill and I decided to put the bronze plaque on the base of the remaining tower on the west side of the Rhine River at Remagen.
We still had about $5,000 left so every Christmas for four or five years we gave a $1,000 gift to the school children in the Twin Villages. This was taken care of by Will and Denise Cavanagh. We also gave $1,000 to the village of Houffalize for a new children's park.
There would be no beautiful monument, plaque at Remagen, Christmas gifts for school children in the Twin Villages, and help at Houffalize if Bill Meyer had not quickly, all by himself, raised $26,000.
Al Nelson, I/393
2651 B West 106th Loop
Westminster CO 80234
