On the wooded grounds behind the powder blue Bigfork Veterans of Foreign Wars post along Montana 35, a major transformation has quietly taken shape over the summer. What began as an effort to relocate a single tribute has grown into a comprehensive, community-driven project to establish four distinct memorials honoring military veterans and emergency first responders. The emerging hillside sanctuary is designed to offer a peaceful outdoor space dedicated to remembrance, community reflection, and healing.
Already standing on the shaded slope is a memorial commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. The monument incorporates twin stone pillars to represent the fallen towers of the World Trade Center. Positioned nearby is the centerpiece that inspired the entire initiative: the Bigfork Benghazi Memorial, originally established in 2014 to honor the four Americans who lost their lives during the assault on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.
The Benghazi tribute features a sculpted bronze eagle with a six-foot wingspan, depicted swooping down from above and permanently anchored to a stone base. It is recognized as the only known monument in the United States dedicated specifically to the victims of the 2012 Benghazi attack. Its presence in the Flathead Valley stems from the efforts of Bill Thomas, a California firefighter and paramedic based in Ventura County.
Thomas was originally motivated to act after reading an article in the local Bigfork Eagle reporting that the parents of Tyrone Woods had moved to the area. Woods, a retired Navy SEAL and CIA operative, was among the four Americans killed in the Benghazi attack. Although Thomas did not personally know the Woods family, he felt strongly that a lasting monument was necessary to commemorate the sacrifice of those lost in the incident.
To bring the concept to fruition, Thomas partnered with Bigfork resident Doug Averill. Together, they arranged for the bronze eagle monument to be placed on Averill's private elk preserve. For years, Thomas’s nonprofit organization, the 9/11 Honor and Serve Foundation, hosted annual memorial ceremonies at the site to observe the anniversaries of both the 2001 and 2012 attacks.
However, the memorial ceremony held in 2025 drew only a sparse crowd. Among those in attendance was Ron Wenzel, who currently serves as the quartermaster for the Bigfork VFW. Wenzel had worked as a police officer in New Jersey during the 2001 attacks, an event during which he lost several close friends. The tragedy prompted him to enlist in the military, eventually leading to a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011.
Troubled by the small turnout, Wenzel reflected on whether the public was beginning to forget the solemn promise made in the aftermath of the attacks. After considering the situation, he concluded that the low attendance was not a sign of diminishing respect from the community. Rather, the primary obstacle was the monument’s location on private property, behind locked gates and hidden from public view.
Recognizing that the memorial was out of sight and out of mind for most residents, Wenzel approached Thomas with the idea of moving the monument to the Bigfork VFW. By relocating the tribute to the post grounds, the memorial would be accessible to the general public at all times. Thomas supported the proposal, and Wenzel secured unanimous approval from the VFW board to proceed with the relocation.
Shortly after the green light was given, Thomas and Averill visited the post to survey the grounds. While standing on the hillside, Averill sketched an initial concept for the expanded memorial park on a napkin. That simple outline has served as the guiding blueprint for the project, which has steadily developed through local volunteer labor and financial support.
A significant contributor to the construction effort has been Skylar Johnson, a Bigfork resident and the owner of Markay Johnson Construction. A former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, Johnson provided critical construction assistance and donations to support the project. VFW officials noted that without his substantial backing, the post would not have had the financial means to carry out the development.
While the original plan centered exclusively on the Benghazi and 9/11 tributes, the scope quickly expanded after local veterans expressed a desire for additional recognition. During a monthly VFW meeting, several Vietnam War veterans became emotional as they described the lack of local sites where they could gather to remember their fallen comrades, noting that traveling to national memorials in Washington, D.C., was often cost-prohibitive.
In response to their plea, post leadership committed to adding a Three Soldiers statue—also referred to as the Three Brothers statue—to the hillside grounds. The addition aims to provide local Vietnam veterans with a dedicated, permanent place to reflect without needing to travel far from home.
Organizers noted that providing dedicated spaces for reflection is particularly crucial in Montana, where veterans face disproportionately high mental health challenges. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the veteran suicide rate in Montana is 1.5 times higher than the national veteran average and three times higher than the rate among the state's general civilian population.
Bigfork VFW Commander Steve Gordon emphasized the vital role community support spaces play for former service members. He pointed out that many veterans share common experiences of supporting peers through difficult times, making an accessible, peaceful outdoor sanctuary an essential resource for the region.
Looking ahead, the Bigfork VFW is pursuing the second phase of the park's development, which includes an application to construct a Gold Star Family Memorial to honor relatives of service members killed in combat. Currently, the only Gold Star monument in Montana is located in Bozeman, leaving families in the northwestern part of the state without a regional site.
VFW leaders hope the expanded grounds will properly honor local Gold Star families, such as the family of Army Captain Edward Matthew Saltz, who was the first Montana resident killed in action during the Iraq War in 2003. When fully finished, the multi-monument park will serve as a permanent community sanctuary dedicated to honoring the fallen and supporting those who served.
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