Veterans Memorial Wall

Military monument in Jacksonville, Florida

Full view of memorial wall A hand reaches out to touch the name of a loved one.

The Veterans Memorial Wall is located at 1145 East Adams Street, adjacent to EverBank Stadium in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The quarter-million dollar monument was dedicated in November, 1995 and serves as a tribute to more than 1,500 Jacksonville area American war heroes. The outdoor memorial was promoted as "the largest of its kind" and "the only wall that honors veterans from all six [service] branches" (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine).[1] The 65-foot (20 m) long black granite monument contains the names of servicemen and women from World War I through Operation Desert Storm and the current war on terrorism. In front of the wall stands a torch with an eternal flame.

The Wall is the site of the city's Memorial Day ceremony, when any local servicewoman and serviceman who lost their lives in the prior year are honored and their names added to the obelisque.[2]

Every Memorial Day since the monument was completed, a group of family, friends and classmates of Navy pilot Scott Speicher gather at the wall. Speicher, who grew up in Jacksonville, was shot down on the first night of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. His remains went unrecovered until August 2, 2009.[3]

When the Wall was built, it was located just eight feet (2.4 m) from the exterior wall of the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and extraordinary measures were taken to protect it when the Coliseum was demolished in 2003. When all of the debris was removed and the site restored to grade, the Memorial was surrounded by a 2-acre (8,100 m2) walking park.

An additional 2,500-pound (1,130 kg) base and 5,000-pound (2,270 kg) panel were added in 2005 to provide space for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it became clear that the single panel would not be sufficient, based on the course of the war, so one more was added prior to the Memorial Day ceremony in 2010, the 15th anniversary of the monument. Ten names were added in 2010, four of which are on the most recent panel, which brings the total number to over 1,600. Four more names were added in 2014.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Yahoo! Travel: Veterans Memorial Wall
2. ^ City of Jacksonville website: City of Jacksonville Holds 2007 Memorial Day Observance[permanent dead link]
3. ^ Shankar, Thom (August 2, 2009). "Pilot's Remains Found in Iraq After 18 Years". The New York Times.
4. ^ Gibbons, Timothy J.: "Veterans Memorial Wall expanded, refurbished" Florida Times-Union, May 27, 2010

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall at Wikimedia Commons

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Jacksonville landmarks

Buildings and
structures|

| Bridges|

* Acosta Bridge
* Buckman Bridge
* Dames Point Bridge
* Fuller Warren Bridge
* Hart Bridge
* Main Street Bridge
* Mathews Bridge
* Mayport Ferry

|

Entertainment
venues|

| Cinemas|

* Sun-Ray Cinema

|

Sports venues|

* Cecil Recreation Complex
* Epping Forest Yacht Club
* Florida Yacht Club
* Harmon Stadium
* Hodges Stadium
* Jacksonville Equestrian Center
* Swisher Gymnasium
* EverBank Stadium
* TPC at Sawgrass
* UNF Arena
* VyStar Ballpark
* VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
* World Golf Village

Theatres|

* Alhambra Dinner Theatre
* Florida Theatre
* Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts
* Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
* Ritz Theatre
* Theatre Jacksonville
* UNF Fine Arts Center

Other|

* Daily's Place
* Freebird Live
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* Metropolitan Park
* Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center
* St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Government|

* Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse
* City Hall
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* Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jacksonville Branch
* Main Library
* Old City Hall Annex

Museums|

* Alexander Brest Museum and Gallery
* Bryan-Gooding Planetarium
* Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens
* Jacksonville Fire Museum
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* Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
* LaVilla Museum
* Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville
* Museum of Science and History
* Norman Studios Silent Film Museum

Places of worship|

* All Saints Episcopal Church
* The Bethel Church
* Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
* Celebration Church
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* Christ's Church
* First Baptist Church
* Mount Zion AME Church
* Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church
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Retailing|

| Outdoor shopping centers|

* Gateway Town Center
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|

Indoor shopping centers|

* Orange Park Mall
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Historic|

* 11 East Forsyth
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Skyscrapers|

* 121 Atlantic Place
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* Two Prudential Plaza
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Military|

* Blount Island Command
* Jacksonville National Cemetery
* Naval Air Station Cecil Field
* Naval Air Station Jacksonville
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* Veterans Memorial Wall

Transport|

* Cecil Airport
* Herlong Recreational Airport
* Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport
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* JAXPORT Cruise Terminal
* Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center
* Rosa Parks Transit Station

Other|

* Cecil Commerce Center
* Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens
* Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
* Jessie Ball duPont Center
* Midtown Centre
* Palm and Cycad Arboretum
* St. Johns Light
* Tree Hill Nature Center

Parks|

| State and Federal|

* Amelia Island State Park
* Anastasia State Park
* Big Talbot Island State Park
* Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
* Fort Caroline National Memorial
* Fort Clinch State Park
* Fort George Island Cultural State Park
* Fort Matanzas National Monument
* George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier
* Kingsley Plantation
* Little Talbot Island State Park
* Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park
* Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park
* Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
* Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park

|

City|

* Castaway Island Preserve
* Hanna Park
* Klutho Park
* Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail
* Kona Skatepark
* Memorial Park
* Riverside Park
* Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park
* Springfield Park (formerly Confederate Park)
* Treaty Oak

Squares and
public spaces|

* Five Points
* Friendship Fountain
* James Weldon Johnson Park (formerly Hemming Plaza)
* Jacksonville Riverwalks
* Riverfront Plaza

Streets|

* Atlantic Boulevard
* Baymeadows Road
* Beach Boulevard
* Blanding Boulevard
* Butler Boulevard
* King Street
* Laura Street
* Philips Highway
* Roosevelt Boulevard
* Southside Boulevard
* Ward Street

Buildings and structures under construction shown in italics

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