A Place To Honor All Veterans – The Connecticut State Veterans Memorial

Throughout the holiday season many of us think about our country’s service men and women stationed away from their homes and families. As a tribute to these brave individuals who give up so much to protect our freedoms, Connecticut is building a statewide veterans memorial.

Our state is currently home to more than 277,000 veterans and since its beginning has watched nearly 1.3 million citizens fight to protect the freedoms we all cherish. The statewide veterans memorial will be a place where individuals can pay tribute to each of these veterans as well as commemorate their selfless and brave actions.

The memorial will be built on a 2.8 acre grassy meadow, adjacent to the Colonel Raymond Gates State Veterans Cemetery and across the street from the State Veterans’ Home in Rocky Hill. The central Connecticut location was chosen to make the monument easily accessible to all.

In order to select a design for the memorial, a competition utilizing our state’s many artisans, historians, scholars and designers was held. The design selected will feature a tree-lined walkway depicting a timeline of battles fought – the Revolutionary War through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The walls along the walkway will be lined with statements honoring those who have served and include a special honor for those who lost their lives in combat. The walkway will lead to a wall with added words honoring past, present and future veterans as well as logos for each of the major Armed Forces. The memorial will also house an amphitheater for events to celebrate our service men and women.

It is projected to cost nearly $1.5 million to construct and install the memorial. In an effort to cover these costs and also give citizens an opportunity to be a part of honoring friends, family and all veterans, the public has been invited to contribute. Information about how and where you can donate can be found by visiting www.cthonorsvets.org.

While we often think of those serving us a little more during the holidays, recognizing our veterans is something that should be done year-round. It is the men and women of our Armed Forces that provide our country with peace and liberty day after day. Commemorating their actions by erecting this memorial is a wonderful tribute to all that has been done in defense of our country and our freedoms. I welcome the opportunity to visit the memorial and formally honor all our courageous veterans.