Church ‘rocks’ popular veterans’ memorial

DUDLEY — Here’s an unlikely statement about a rock: “It does its own thing now.”

Or, how about this one: “It’s kind of like it’s got its own life.”

But that’s exactly how Blane Smith and Jane Beaman, respectively, describe Veterans Rock which stands on the property of Dudley Christian Church, where Beaman is a church member and Smith is the pastor. The enormous rock is painted with images that represent patriotism and all branches of the U.S military.

Veterans Rock is hallowed ground, a place where families of fallen heroes release the ashes of their loved ones. In 2022, it was the most-visited site on the Tour of Honor, a motorcycle rally that takes riders to veterans’ memorials throughout the U.S. In 2023, it was featured on WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler.

These honors far exceed anything Beaman and Smith envisioned when they first floated the idea of Veterans Rock to the church’s congregation.

The idea for the rock came to Beaman in 2010 from a co-worker, who made her aware of Freedom Rock—a boulder painted as a tribute to veterans—in Iowa. It was a concept that immediately resonated with Beaman, partly because her husband, father, and brother were all veterans, but also because of the church’s proximity to Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base.

“She called me up and knew that I’d been a commercial artist for 25 years before I started this [preaching], and she said, ‘If I get a rock, will you paint it?’” Smith recalls.

Beaman remembers being surprised that Smith didn’t hesitate for even a moment before giving her a “yes.”

Smith admits that the reason he signed on so quickly was because he pictured a knee-high rock, not the enormous boulder Beaman actually had in mind.

Their first step to making Veterans Rock a reality was to get approval from the church’s Board. “We said, ‘We want a rock,’” Smith recalls. “And I’ll never forget that look [on their faces]: ‘You want a rock?!’

“They said, ‘Well, you can have a rock, but we ain’t got no money,’” he continues, clearly relishing the memory. Thus began a venture that started with one rock but grew to encompass a larger memorial, eventually requiring many thousands of dollars over the years, none of which has come from the church’s coffers.

“The church has never paid a nickel on that rock,” Smith emphasizes. “Never.”

Church members, community members, and businesses generously donated money, time, materials, and equipment for the rock and surrounding memorial. In fact, the rock itself — a giant, granite boulder — was donated by Hanson Aggregates in Princeton.

Once the rock was on site (via a donated flatbed truck), a crane (also donated) lowered the bottom third of it into a hole that was hand-dug by church and community members. It was then power-washed and covered with three coats of white primer (“It looked like an iceberg out there,” Beaman recalls.), and a tent (yes, donated) was placed over it to provide protection from the elements during the upcoming weeks that Smith would spend painting.

Beaman, noting her own lack of artistic talent, was curious to see how Smith would tackle the endeavor. “He took an overhead projector and brought it out here, and he took a pencil and drew things on that white rock. And as he drew, I saw a picture coming, and then the next thing you know, he’s painting. And,” she laughs, “I thought, Well, that’s why he has a degree in art and I don’t.”

For inspiration, Smith turned to the church and community. The youth in the church had become pen pals with a young woman serving in Afghanistan; her portrait is included. There is a likeness of the choir director’s father, who served in the Navy. A friend of Smith’s flew B-52 bombers in Vietnam, hence the B-52 painted atop the rock. Beaman’s husband, Joe, who was instrumental in establishing Veterans’ Rock, served in the 101st Airborne Division, so Smith included the “Screaming Eagles” logo. Each image on the rock is infused with meaning.

Smith had a six-week window during which to paint the rock in order to have it completed by the church’s chosen dedication date of 11-11-11, which meant he worked every day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. He was frequently interrupted by passers-by who stopped out of curiosity.

He notes, “I met people, I prayed with people I never saw before…”

“And have never seen since,” adds Beaman.

In addition to the interruptions, Smith’s work was slowed by the precarious nature of painting atop the rock, a perch from which he fell six times. No harm done, except for the butt-shaped impression left in the grass, he jokes.

Looking back on the daunting task, he observes, “I couldn’t do it again. The Holy Spirit wanted it. It had nothing to do with me.”

The rock was painted, benches and flagpoles were installed, and landscaping was completed in time for the planned dedication, and in the years that followed, the church held a variety of services at the rock, including, of course, services for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. (In recent years, because so many other sites hold Memorial Day services, the church has instead started observing Armed Forces Day, which falls approximately a week earlier.) But the rock didn’t garner widespread attention. “It was kinda quiet for ten years,” observes Beaman.

When the 10-year anniversary rolled around, another temporary tent was erected over the rock to provide cover for Smith as he touched up the images that had become faded over the years. One day while he was working, Beaman happened to stop by with coffee at the same time that two elderly couples pulled in the parking lot for a visit. “In the midst of them walking around with walkers…Jane looked at me and I looked at her, and we had the same thought: This ought to be handicap accessible,” Smith says. They realized that, while the gravel they’d used to landscape around the rock looked nice, it wasn’t the safest option.

Smith went to his church members with a request: $3,000 to pour a concrete pad around the rock. In almost no time, $10,000 was raised, not just from members of Dudley Christian Church, but from members of their neighboring church, The Bridge, and from others in the community, as well. And, once again, local businesses stepped up, donating materials and equipment. At this point, they poured concrete, added parking spaces specifically for veterans, added signage, and completed additional landscaping.

“After all this was done, that’s when it was noticed by the Tour of Honor,” Smith explains. And being included on the Tour of Honor in 2022 is what catapulted Veterans Rock to prominence.

“It’s like it laid in the ground for ten years and then it went crazy,” Smith says. Based on entries in the guest book kept in a mailbox beside the rock, he’s noted visitors from as far away as Vermont, Nevada, Alaska, even Germany.

Last year, the church decided to enhance the site by adding a Gold Star Memorial, to honor families whose loved ones paid the ultimate sacrifice during their military service. Once again, fundraising efforts exceeded expectations, and they were able to add not just a Gold Star Memorial, but a Blue Star Memorial (honoring all who serve in the U.S. military), as well. With the addition of these Memorials, Veterans Rock is now permanently on the Tour of Honor.

As exciting as it is to see the popularity of the rock, what’s most gratifying, Beaman and Smith agree, is the meaning it brings to individual lives. To illustrate, Smith recalls something that happened when he was touching up the paint in 2021. “A man pulled up in an old car, got out, I nodded my head at him. He put his hand up there where the ‘Screaming Eagle’ is — the 101st, that’s been real popular — and just cried. And when he got through crying, he nodded his head at me and got back in the car and rode off.”

“If that gives comfort to people…” Beaman adds softly, “Oh, I’m so hopeful that it does.”

For those interested in visiting, Dudley Christian Church is located at 212 O’Berry Road. For more information, go to the Facebook page for Veterans Rock.