Nov. 9 -- A visit to Washington D.C. is never complete without stops at the memorials dedicated to America's veterans. Across the United States many communities large and small also honor veterans with parks, statues, historical markers and banners.
One of the most iconic and enduring memorials to veterans is the Doughboy statue, created by Ernest Visquesney following World War I and officially titled "Spirit of the American Doughboy." Nearly 150 copies of the statue were cast in bronze and set up in towns across America. Private funds were almost always the means for purchasing one of these memorial statues.
In Oklahoma there were five towns that raised the funding to place the Doughboy statue in their midst. Muskogee's was placed at the Veterans Hospital, a new facility located on Agency Hill. It was dedicated in 1925, just two years after the hospital had opened. It honored veterans who were members of the Five Tribes. The statue has stood at the hospital for 99 years.
Another Doughboy was placed in Henryetta in the downtown area at the intersection of Highway 62 and Highway 75. It was also unveiled in 1925 and placed on a tall pedestal. Henryetta citizens were proud of the statue and of the veterans it honored. But the Oklahoma Highway Department was quick to express concerns about traffic safety at such a busy intersection.
For several decades the residents of Henryetta resisted all pressure to relocate the Doughboy. But by 1969, with increasing traffic due to the creation of Eufaula Lake, the City Council finally agreed to move the statue. It was placed on the grounds of the city library.
Two other Doughboy statues graced the north and south ends of the bridge over the north fork of the Red River on Highway 9. Citizens of Greer and Kiowa Counties had raised the money to place these statues as a kind of welcome to anyone crossing the bridge.
The statues were dedicated in 1929 when the Red River bridge was also dedicated. But again, the Highway Department requested they be moved, this time because of vandals. They now reside in a park in Granite, Oklahoma and on the courthouse lawn in Hobart.
The fifth Doughboy statue is located in the town of Cherokee also at the county courthouse. All the statues have stood for nearly 100 years as testament to the honor and respect Oklahomans hold for our veterans.