SHAWNEE, Kan. — Tucked away in a north Shawnee, Kansas, neighborhood — John Sigman has been working on something special.
"I have the paralyzed veterans here, the gentleman in the wheelchair and then I have the wounded warrior logo," Sigman said, listing of some of the many symbols cut from metal adorning his front yard.
His front yard project, which has grown steadily over the years, started with a feeling in 2019.
That's when his daughter took him on an honor flight to Washington D.C.
It's hard not to be moved by the memorials there, and Sigman was no exception.
"Well, it was heart-wrenching to be quite honest with you," he said. "I hope that the veterans that see this right here can relate."
Each one of the items and symbols Sigman has added to the display is deeply personal, but they also serve as a memorial to anyone in the neighborhood.
He hopes to spark that feeling he had in D.C. in the neighbors that pass by. Some of them helped him with the build.
"The gentleman across the street over here, he was in Vietnam as a medic," Sigman said. "And the gentleman two houses up — he was in Turkey, he was in the Air Force."
He wants to honor the memories of soldiers he knew, but most of all he wants people to remember who keeps us free.
"I would just like for everybody to remember the men and women," he said.
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