photo courtesy Edd HayesSculptor helps fallen soldiers find "The Way Home"
Those who have driven around The Woodlands have likely seen one of artist Edd Hayes' 27 bronze deer sculptures or perhaps one of his other memorials throughout the country. But Hayes is hard at work on another monument for The Woodlands that is of particular importance to the sculptor.
"The Way Home" memorializes the sacrifices of the military, featuring the likenesses of two young Woodlands area Army soldiers who lost their lives in 2007 in a 10-foot-by-12-foot sculpture: Cory Kosters, who perished in Iraq, and Zach Endsley, who died in Afghanistan. In the sculpture, Kosters stands atop a hill, pointing to something in the sky while tapping Endsley on the shoulder to show him the way home, the two young men stuck between death and the afterlife, Hayes said. Their footprints are visible along a 10-foot path, where the faint pattern of other soldiers' footprints will be visible.
"[It's important] to honor all the young men who have given their all to keep this country free," Hayes said. "It doesn't celebrate war, but it dedicates the young men who have given their lives to keeping the peace and protecting the United States of America."
The monument will showcase the soldiers at life size on a 6-foot monument and will be located on the east side of Town Green Park, he said. The monument will honor all branches of the military by showcasing their emblems while allocating space for plaques for those who would like to honor fallen members of the military.
