Honor Our Veterans this Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor Day will live in infamy if we teach our children and grandchildren the importance of this day in history. The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument includes the USS Arizona Memorial.

We can never do enough to honor the service men and women who have given up so much defending our freedoms. As a tribute to these heroes who have served our country in the past and to those that serve today, Connecticut is building its first statewide veterans memorial. This memorial will be a symbol of our appreciation and respect for generations to come.

In our state’s history nearly 1.3 million Connecticut citizens have fought to protect our freedoms, and today there are more than 277,000 veterans living in Connecticut. This memorial will not only provide a place to pay tribute to those men and women who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces, but it will also memorialize the selfless contributions made by the veterans of our state and establish a site for the State of Connecticut to conduct official ceremonies and observances to honor veterans.

The Connecticut State Veterans Memorial will be located in Rocky Hill on 2.8 acres of grassy land adjacent to the Colonel Raymond Gates Memorial Cemetery and across the street from the Connecticut Veterans Home.

The design of the memorial was selected through a competition aimed at utilizing the talents and creativity of Connecticut’s many artisans, historians, scholars and designers. Once constructed, the State Veterans Memorial will feature a tree-lined walkway depicting a timeline of battles fought – the Revolutionary War through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Along the walkway will also be a wall with statements honoring those who have served and 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 that celebrate our service men and women.

The construction and installation of the memorial is slated to cost nearly $1.5 million. To cover these costs and to give citizens the opportunity to be a part of honoring friends, family and all veterans, individuals are asked to contribute. Information about how you can donate and make this project a reality can be found by visiting http://www.cthonorsvets.org/.

It is the brave men and women who join our Armed Forces that protect the rights and the liberties we cherish. Commemorating and recognizing their actions by erecting this memorial is wonderful testament to all these veterans do and have done to make our country what it is. I welcome this opportunity for our state to honor all of our courageous veterans.