Moore Veteran Honored to Represent Others as Model for Statue by Christiaan Patterson Three decades, 30 years, 360 months, 262,800 hours or 15,768,000 minutes. No matter how you slice the time clock, this is the length of time and energy spent by one person protecting this country. Aaron Sloan, a lifetime Moore resident, has given three decades of his life to serving the United States and is still serving, in the same spot he grew up. “Hometown boy? Yea, I’m as hometown as they get,” Sloan said. Growing up in Moore, Sloan attended Plaza Towers Elementary, Highland East Jr. High and Moore High School. Outside of school, there were a few places in the town that he remembers as favorite spots. “I really miss the old Dairy Queen. What else can I say? I just miss it,” he said. “Also, Veterans Memorial Park is definitely at the top of my list. The Old Moore High School is another place that shows the history of our town and of course 12th Street, that was just great. But trying to pick out just one spot that’s the best is hard, because there are so many places in Moore that I love.” After graduating high school, Sloan found himself trying to figure out which steps to take next. He worked for a year and started getting into trouble. That was when he took a step back and made a decision in June of 1983. His father, who had served in the Navy, inspired Sloan to join the military but not the Navy.
64 | MOORE MONTHLY | NOVEMBER 2013
“You know sometimes you get in trouble when you’re a kid [chuckles] and the next thing to do is join the military, to get that discipline and understand what life is really about,” he said. “But I had a fear of drowning, so I knew the Navy was out. I figured if I had to go to war and choose how I’d want to die, I’d rather be blown up than drown. So that’s how I selected the Army.” Since making that decision, Sloan served in the Army, then Army Reserve from 1986 to 2000, when he went full time Active Guard Reserve. This decision allowed him to continue living in the place he loved and raise a family. If having the honor of serving wasn’t enough, Todd Jensen, the director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Moore, asked Sloan if he would be willing to have a statue modeled after him. Wood carving artist Clayton Cross was called in to use the trees being cut down as a canvas for soldiers to be represented for each of the wars. Aaron was chosen to stand for all who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. “I can’t even begin to describe the emotions,” he said, “to be able to represent all the forces. It doesn’t matter what branch you are. Those statues represent us all.” The process of transforming a tree into a statue wasn’t easy, but it was a once-in-alifetime experience. Thankfully, Sloan didn’t have to stand and model as Clayton chipped away. Instead, multiple pictures were taken
of him in uniform and the artist used those to carve a masterpiece. The tornado on May 20 narrowly missed destroying the four carvings, however, Sloan’s did end up lying in the grass. “An hour after the tornado hit, someone showed me a picture of my statue lying face down in the grass, like he was trying to sleep,” Sloan said. “My guy was sleeping on the job. I guess it wasn’t his watch [chuckles].” For Sloan, Moore is home. Being able to serve his country and live in the place where he grew up has been such a privilege. Happiness is right here inside the community and at the heart of this city. “I don’t want to move no place else,” he said. “I don’t care if people dislike me or how many tornadoes come through this town, we will rebuild and move forward. I love this place.”