Veterans Day is this week, on Nov. 11, but it is always a good time to honor those who fought and died for our country. One way to do that is to visit Kreilick Conservation LLC, 227 Roesch Ave. in nearby Oreland, to see “The Ultimate Weapon” sculpture of a World War II infantryman holding an M-14 rifle, artwork that is currently being restored.

Normally, the massive statue is found on the grounds of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County, N.J. The remarkable thing about this tribute to World War II fighters is that it was not created by a modern-day Michelangelo but by actual soldiers who were stationed at Fort Dix from 1958 to 1959. The statue was dedicated in 1959 to honor “the only indispensable instrument of war, the American soldier.”

According to Margaret McMonigle, president of Kreilick Conservation, “Since they had no real budget to speak of, the statue was made of Nu Metal (Bondo), a material similar to what cars were made from. He represents every soldier who has come through Fort Dix since 1917 and is revered and iconic and held in great regard by the soldiers and staff there.”

Kreilick is known primarily as a firm that preserves outdoor sculptures like the many you see while driving down Kelly Drive into Center City. “Philadelphia has more outdoor sculpture per capita than any other city in the U.S.,” McMonigle said, “so we are always busy. We do not have to advertise because people know us from past clients. Not many people do this kind of work. It is a small industry. Most of our work is at publicly owned buildings, rehabilitating our cultural heritage. We do not restore paintings or tapestry. We do outdoor sculptures, metalwork, masonry, etc.”

Kreilick Conservation was established by conservator and metallurgist Scott Kreilick as a sole proprietorship in 1996 and became a limited liability company in 2002. The company has performed conservation treatments, assessments or material analysis at more than 40 national landmarks, and conserved more than 250 monuments and sculptures. Scott Kreilick, who earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania, has published 28 peer-reviewed papers and a paper on applied conductivity.

In 2014, McMonigle took over the business, which has seven employees and three conservators. In addition to Philadelphia, they have completed conservation work in Virginia, West Virginia, Cleveland, New York and Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Harrison, director of conservation for the company, said, “Every sculpture is different. We assess the condition of each one and have respect for the original materials. The American Institute for Conservation has a code of ethics we follow.

“We do cyclical maintenance because of the effects of weather, for example. Bronze will develop a green patina that distracts from the original intention. An outdoor sculpture may need restoration after 50 years or even more,” Harrison said. “This is both a science and a trade. Many outdoor sculptures are from the early 1900s. I’ve worked with many conservators from Europe where they have a long tradition of conserving these outdoor sculptures.

“A specialty clear wax keeps them from erosion, and they have to be maintained regularly,” he continued. “You wash and wax, as you would do with a car but more rugged. You protect with acrylic lacquer, which keeps it longer than wax, 10 to 30 years.”

One particularly disturbing job was with “American War Mother,” a World War I statue at La Salle University. Vandals had cut off its head. Kreilick produced 3-D molds, restoring the statue’s head, back and shoulder this past summer. It is now more than 90 percent finished. “Every time there is a parade,” McMonigle said, “something goes missing.”

The firm has also redone Philadelphia subway lines, a huge project. They worked on railings from the 1930s for four years. “We just reinstalled them,” McMonigle said, “but another project may just be from one homeowner. For example, a Main Line lady had us restore a cupola and weather vane from the 1880s. It was like the weather vane at Independence Hall that we restored 10 years ago using marble and granite.”

For more information, visit kreilickconservation.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.