Retired Army Officer Howard Stiles of Raymond, who spent 24 years in uniform before retiring in 1983, unveiled a new war memorial for Raymond veterans near the intersection of routes 302 and 85 on Monday.

In 2006, the former chairman of the Raymond Board of Selectmen Betty McDermott presented Stiles a check of $7,500 to jumpstart the fundraising effort for the monument. The Raymond Lions Club added another $1,400 to the effort. All their efforts came to fruition during the sunny Memorial Day afternoon ceremony.

“The idea of having a veterans memorial has been on the back burner in the town of Raymond for a number of years,” said Stiles. He said the state gave Raymond ownership of the Panther Run Rest Area a few years ago and the town finally had a place for a monument.

Stiles said he was asked by the town to form a committee 15 months ago to plan the monument. The committee, headed by Stiles, was made up of Dave McIntire, Melanie Basil-Champniss, Vern Watters, Eleanor Thompson and Paul Lentini.

“We looked at other sites, including the school and near the town hall, but it just seemed natural to go to the rest stop,” he said.

Now called the Raymond Veteran’s Memorial Park, the area contains a brick walkway to the memorial and benches. Some of the stones of the walkway have been inscribed with the names of donors who helped raise money for the project.

Donors included a number of local residents, and some organizations like the Raymond Founders Day Committee, which gave $7,500, and the Raymond Lions Club, which gave money to purchase a flag and flag pole.

Raymond’s Steven Lentine built the walkway for his Eagle Scout project. He and Girl Scout Katie Allen raised the flag Monday as part of the dedication ceremony.

Speakers at the ceremony included Stiles, a few local politicians and veterans, including Major General John W. Libby, the adjutant general of the Maine National Guard.

The monument was wrapped in a shroud until the end of the ceremony. Stiles said the red, white and blue flag etched into the granite monument was possible due to laser technology.

“As far as I know, we’re one of the first in the state to have this,” said Stiles.

The lasers score a series of uniform dots into the surface of the stone monument and give colored stains an area to stick to.

“We’ve done war memorials all over the state,” said Don Collette of Collette Monuments in Lewiston. He worked on the Raymond monument and said some of the towns his company has built war memorials for include Sebago, Windham and Naples. He said he is currently working on one for the town of Casco, which should be completed later this year.

Raymondmonument1: Howard Stiles, at right, reveals the memorial to Raymond veterans at the end of a ceremony on Memorial Day. Also pictured is Betty McDermott and Major General John W. Libby.Raymondmonument2: Ernie Knight, 102, turned out for the memorial dedication. He is the town’s oldest resident.Raymondmonument3: Former Army Sergeant Robert Burns salutes the new monument dressed as Uncle Sam.