Cheney War Memorial

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As young men returned from the first World War, monuments sprang up around the country to honor them, and their fallen comrades. Groups like the Women’s Relief Corps, that had supported the soldiers during wartime with care packages, turned to fundraising for memorials, hoping to honor those who’d given their lives in service.

The Cheney War Memorial stands in the center of Veterans Memorial Park, sandwiched between EWU Campus on one side and the fire station on the other. The stone obelisk is raised up on a three tiered stone block base, larger than life, surrounded by four concrete and glass benches, one for each face of the monument. Though the monument itself is from the 1920s, the memorial park has been around much longer.

Erected “In Memory of our Heros” by the Women’s Relief Corps No.8, in 1924, the monument reads “Lest We Forget, Freedom is Not Free, All Gave Some, Some Gave All” around the top of the obelisk. Each side honors veterans of a war, from the Grand Army of the Republic (1861-1865),(the Union side in the Civil War), the Spanish War (1898 - 1899), both World Wars, Vietnam, Korea, to far more recent wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan. There are eighteen names listed on the monument, most of them victims of the second World War.

One of those names is Staff Sergeant Chad A. Caldwell, Spokane local and Cheney High School graduate, who’s recognized for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and tragically lost his life during his tour of duty in 2008. SSGT Caldwell had a multitude of achievements, notably being awarded with both a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Although he is no longer with us, his name won’t be forgotten.