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Here is a Marco scenario that would accomplish good on so many levels. See what you think.

First, some facts. Marco has hundreds, maybe thousands of veterans who’ve served us in uniform over the decades. We love our veterans. Next, Marco Island has hundreds, maybe thousands of dogs. We love our dogs. It’s even possible some of the dogs that live on Marco are veterans or offspring of canine veterans of the armed forces. I’m not kidding.

Next fact – Veterans Park will be developed as a salute to our veterans. Also, a lot of Islanders have been asking for and hoping for a dog park here.

The President of the U.S. this year signed into law authorization for a National War Dogs Monument to honor the 100,000 or more dogs that have served our troops and saved many thousands lives in wars past and present. What if Marco Island offered to be the home of the national war dog memorial? Seriously. The memorial will be a beautiful bronze statue, depicting dogs working with a soldier, as they have since World War I.

Why not offer the federal government an honored place for the memorial in our someday-to-be-developed Marco Veterans’ Park?

Warning – there would be red tape, probably enough to stretch from our Veterans’ Park site to the Congress of the United States and back. But it might be possible if some dedicated Islanders worked to make it happen.

Obstacles include the fact that the monument tentatively is intended to be erected at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, about 20 miles from Washington D.C. But that is not yet chipped in bronze, so to speak.

Why would we want to do this, to bring this monument to Marco Island? Because it is supremely cool. Also, we’re no strangers to designated areas of national importance.

The Everglades National Park is just down the Tamiami Trail. The Rookery Bay Natural Estuarine Research Reserve is just up Collier Boulevard (951) across from Erin’s Isle Restaurant, (which some folks think of as a monument to Irish food, drink and fun). Then there’s the nearby Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.

So we’re in the ballpark and maybe in the mood to host a national monument to the dogs that have served in military operations, not to mention the dogs serving with the Department of Homeland Security.

Now is the time to get involved. Money-raising efforts are underway to pay for the war dog monument and to get it situated.

Marco Island would get significant national publicity if we stepped up to help raise the money and provide a place for this monument.

The artist who sculpted the war dogs memorial is a native-born Floridian, Rene Headings. She was a well-known amateur golfer in the West Palm Beach area before she moved to Illinois where her studio is located.

Not all statues and monuments of a patriotic nature have to be in and near the national capital. We have 125 national cemeteries in 39 states. We have two national monuments in Florida too – Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas at St. Augustine.

So why not a third? I know, the devil is in the details and I know that when local and federal interests get involved, it could take until Florida freezes over to get it done.

Still, the effort would be a valid and valiant one. I’ll have more about the monument another time, but it is, I promise, very user friendly. Just like Marco.

Email: chris@chriscurle.com.