<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The concrete slab being poured at Veterans Memorial Park will help accommodate the site’s latest donated piece of combat material — an 8-inch M115 howitzer. The addition of the 40,000-pound cannon is part of the improvements planned for the park by the city.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The park grounds include a World War II tank, a Vietnam-era helicopter, a statue of Lt. Douglas B. Fournet, a fountain, and a number of plaques and memorial bricks.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Veterans Memorial Park Commission spearheaded the efforts to bring the artillery piece to Lake Charles.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Steward, commission chairman, said the artifact is being stored at the Sheriff’s Office until the concrete slab has had time to set.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The slab has to sit for about a week before we can move it there,” Steward said. “The cannon is going to have to have about 10 18-wheeler tires put on it before we can move it.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">M115 howitzers were most notably used during World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">In June, the City Council passed a resolution approving a transfer in possession of the U.S. Army’s Conditional Deed or Gift on the canon from VFW Post 797 in Port Arthur, Texas.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We have some volunteers not only helping to move it, but also coming to paint it, which we’ll do at the park once it’s there,” Steward said. “This thing weighs about 40,000 pounds, so it’s going to take some work.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Mayor Randy Roach said the park improvements have moved rapidly since 2013 when the city unveiled the statue of Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Douglas B. Fournet. He said the park itself represents the city’s “appreciation for the sacrifice and service of our veterans to our country.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Now, three years later we are planning a new phase of the park to add lighting, benches and steel silhouettes representing each of the five branches of the military,” Roach said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">City officials said the upgrades will cost about $350,000, with contributions coming from the city and capital outlet appropriations from the state.</span>

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