Reporter by: Romeo Cantu

More than a thousand people turned out Monday for the dedication of the new Veterans Park in Brownsville.

The dedication had all the hoopla of a special a ceremony: a band playing music, all the important city and government leaders in attendance and hundreds of people turning out to see it.

The idea of building the park has been in the works for 12 years and for one Brownsville man, the park is a dream that has become a reality for him.

"I truly believe, honestly, that this is the way to build parks from now on," said Raul Leal, the current commander of the Brownsville American Legion Post 43. "You need to recognize the people that are serving right now -- like all those kids you know -- not wait for them to be killed in action or to have died."

It was Leal's idea to build the park 12 years ago after he first became commander.

The park sits on nearly 4 acres right across from the city library.

It is the first of its kind in the Valley that honors all of the town's servicemen and women, from War World I to the current Iraqi War.

Seven thousand names will be engraved on concrete walls.

But even with all the planning for the park and overlooking all the details, there was one thing Leal was not prepared to see -- his own name carved into the wall with his fellow Korean War Veterans.

"I don't know what to say. Not sadness," he said. "That was the least thing I expected to see was name up there. So I don't know what to tell you."

But carved among the list of Korean Veterans names in not the only place you will find Leal's name.

You will also find it at the entrance of the park where a plaque reads, "Special thanks to the American Legion, Post 43, and especially Commander Raul J. Leal, whose efforts have made the dream of this project a reality."

The city is now hoping to raise about $2 million more for the park to build a Veterans museum on the grounds of the park.

If you're a veteran from Brownsville and would like to make sure your name is place on the walls, you can call the Brownsville American Legion at (956) 542-5460.