The veterans memorial statue on the grounds of Town Hall has been covered by shrubs, brush and trees in the years since it was erected on May 31, 1976. That will soon change thanks to the work of the newly formed Veterans Council and Selectman Judith Whiteside.

“I know people who don’t even know it’s there,” Whiteside said about the statue at Thursday night’s Veterans Council meeting. The statue sits on the green between Town Hall and the Multi-Service Center and serves as the backdrop of the Town’s annual Veteran’s Day event.

Whiteside said she recently spoke with Wareham Garden Club Civic Beautification Chair Sandy Slavin, who agreed that the club would clear away shrubs in front of the memorial, once the azaleas bloom. The Veterans Council voted to send a letter to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan, who is in charge of all town property, about their agreement with the Garden Club.

“A memorial ought to stand by itself,” Whiteside said.

Whiteside hopes to have the work done by Memorial Day, which was another topic at the Council Meeting. Whiteside is working with the town graves officer and other town employees to put together a location map for veterans graves in the town graveyards.

Some have markers have been moved, misplaced or have weathered away over the years and some might not have ever been marked in the first place.

Once a map is completed, the Veteran’s Council would then form a group to go out to the graves and place a marker designating what war the veteran fought in and an American flag next to the headstone.

The Council also decided to move forward with its “Adopt a Vet” program, which involves a member of the Veterans Council interviewing another Wareham veteran about their life and time in the military.

“We want the town to have an archive of its veterans,” said Bob White, Veterans Council chairman.