Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Medal of honor OK'd for N.H. fallen

By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer
klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com

CONCORD – The state will soon create a New Hampshire medal of honor for its fallen soldiers with legislative approval Tuesday of up to $25,000 to do the work.

The Legislative Fiscal Committee approved the expense that is 2-1/2 times what state officials estimated a year ago.

Deputy Adjutant General Stephen Burritt said competitive bids may yield a lower cost but a leading medal maker advised the entire package could cost up to $250 apiece to make.

"We will only spend what the bids come in at," Burritt said Tuesday. "We aren't trying to spend more than we need to."

Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, was the only member on the panel to oppose the request.

"This starts to sound like the $700 hammer in the Pentagon's budget," Kurk said.

Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, thought private donations would raise money for the medal. "Maybe I'm the only one who had that impression," D'Allesandro said.

Sen. Robert Letourneau, R-Derry, wrote the 2007 law creating the medal and said he intended state money to pay for it.

The two-year state budget did not set aside money to do the job.

"State funds should pay for this medal because it's something from the state of New Hampshire to the families of those who were killed defending us," Letourneau said.

Supporters had estimated in 2007 it would cost no more than $10,000.

The medal will honor families of New Hampshire residents serving in the military who were either killed in combat, while training for deployment to a war zone or during acts of terrorism since November 1979.

Burritt said at least 30 are eligible and there could be more.

Adjutant Gen. Kenneth Clark convinced the fiscal panel to take the money from an existing account of $50,000 that pays National Guardsmen called up for active duty.

Gov. John Lynch directed guardsmen to assist with cleanup after Thursday's tornado, but the assignment did not last long enough to tap this active duty account, Clark said.

The tooling of the medal alone will cost more than $3,000, and the initial production will be 100, Burritt said.

A working committee met for months reviewing and approving the design.

The state will follow Army procedures to issue up to two medals per family because many surviving family members are divorced or separated, Clark said.

"The intent of the committee was not to have one more fight between that family," Clark stressed.

Kevin Landrigan can be reached at 224-8804 or klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com.