Eloise Ogden/MDN -- Statues of soldiers were added to the Ryder Veterans Memorial in the community’s park on Main Street, shown in this photo taken Oct. 25. The statues, one of a Korean-era soldier and the other of a Vietnam-era soldier, are fitting for the monument because they portray soldiers on guard – or guarding the memorial.

RYDER – A memorial honoring military veterans in Ryder now carries nearly 600 names of veterans from that area. More names were added to the wall of the L.C. Jensen American Legion Post 99’s Ryder Veterans Memorial this summer. Two statues of soldiers who are “guarding” the memorial in the city park on Main Street also were added this summer. About 60 names were added in July to the memorial that already had more than 500 names on it, said Daryl Simmons, post commander. The work was done by a Minnesota company. There is still room for a few more names, which would go on the pillars of the memorial. The memorial, a project of the local Legion post, was dedicated in 2006 during the city’s centennial celebration. Ryder, a community in southwest Ward County, has about 90 people. The names on the monument go back many years, including one who served in the Spanish-American War, Simmons said. He said most are from World War I, World War II, followed by the more recent war eras.