LAKELAND, Fla. -- A memorial dedicated to Polk County's only known native Congressional Medal of Honor recipient is in need of repair.

The Polk County Veterans Council is hoping the community will chip in to help.

Monument dedicated to Private James Mills needs repairs

Mills was awarded Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944

Below: How you can help

The monument dedicated to Private James Mills, located in Lakeland's Veterans Memorial Park, needs its granite resealed and its tiles repaired.

The memorial honors Mills, a Fort Meade native, for his gallantry during World War II during the Italian Campaign.

The Army private risked his life during his baptism of fire on May 24, 1944, by taking down an enemy machine gun nest while his platoon advanced behind him.

"Just a humble man who did an extraordinary thing," said Benjamin Mills, who referred to Private Mills as his great uncle.

Mills recalled the stories passed down about Private Mills within his family.

"They kept firing at Uncle James and ignored the other men that were advancing down the draw and they got into a position where they could attack," Mills said.

"He saved a lot of men's lives that day. They managed to take their objective with no casualties."

Private Mills was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor six months after the battle.

"It makes me emotional because he's in my family. It's a tremendous honor to have a person like that in your family. It's a tremendous honor to have the county recognize him for what he did," said Mills, fighting back tears.

A memorial honoring Mills has been on display in Polk County for at least 20 years.

But chairman of Polk County Veterans Council Gary Clark said something is missing from the monument. It doesn’t discuss Private Mills' life before or after the war.

"A lot of people will ask the question who was he, where’d he come from. No where in there does it say he's from Polk County. We want people to know that," said Gary Clark.

The veterans council is raising $5,000 in order to repair the monument and also to add a plaque that shares more about Mills' life. The council hopes to have the work done by Nov. 10. That's when it will have its annual Veterans’ Day Ceremony and rededicate the monument.

Anyone interested in helping with restoring the monument can send checks to:

Polk Heroes Park Fund

GiveWell Community Foundation

1501 S. Florida Avenue

Lakeland, FL 33803

Or email Gary Clark at Gary@CPSinvest.com