As it declares, the Hartford Area Veterans Memorial in Century Square Park is dedicated to the men and women of the community who came from every walk of life to serve our country in all wars so that we can enjoy the freedoms of democracy.

At the center of the memorial is a black granite monument etched with the image of an American scene and the military branch seals. Surrounding it, five grey slabs stand tall under the American flag and the flags of the military branches. They contain the names of local men and women who served in the Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and Grenada War.

Hartford native Jordan Daniel Lueth is a Staff Sergeant in the South Dakota Air National Guard. Lueth enlisted in 2015 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2018 for three months. He now works as traditional National Guardsman in Sioux Falls as a Crew Chief on F-16 jets.

“I joined the military to be a part of something that is bigger than myself. From when I was a very young age, I always knew I had a passion for listening to stories about military Veterans and operations that have taken place over my lifetime. I knew I wanted to be a part of the military to help serve our country. The Air Guard was something I could do to help contribute, while also completing my civilian goals of completing a bachelor’s degree at SDSU,” said Lueth.