This carving was made in 2007 and was a family memorial for 25-year-old Corporal Kevin Megeney of Stellarton, Nova Scotia, who was killed in Afghanistan. In 2012, his uncle in Lantz gave the statue to the Elmsdale Legion and it was installed near the cenotaph at Elmsdale Road and Highway 2.
In October 2015, the statue was removed for repairs and temporarily located at the Elmsdale Legion. Since it was made of wood, the feet on the statue started to rot and one of the magazines was broke on the gun. A local lumber company completed the wooden repairs, and a welding company gave the soldier a new pair of metal boots. He was put back in place near the cenotaph just hours before Remembrance Day.
Megeney's family was extremely touched that the community looked after him like he was one of their own. His sister, Lisa Megeney said what touched her most was the community saw it not only as a statue of her brother, but as a representation of all those who lost their lives while serving our country overseas.
The Elmsdale Legion approached a carver in July 2021 to fix the statue again, but he felt it only had a couple of years left and the carver didn’t want to touch the carving by the other gentleman that has been in place for some years. So he offered to donate a new carving to commemorate his grandfather John Edward Rogers, while also keeping Corporal Kevin Megeney’s memory alive.
