Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial

Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial. A story of community, compassion and collaboration. In 2003, a group of Irvine residents came together at Northwood Community Park, recognizing military personnel for their service and honoring individuals who died in the line of duty while serving in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The passionate and committed residents conducted annual ceremonies, erected displays with names of the fallen, letters from families, posters of Medal of Honor recipients, poems and memorabilia. The ceremonies continues to grow along with the number of fallen. In 2006, the community group submitted a proposal for a permanent "gratitude and Honor" memorial at the park. , In 2007, the Irvine City Council approved funding for design and construction of a new park monument sign at Northwood Community Park with a commemorative competent reflecting the gratitude and honor theme. The City and community members worked together on a deign and plan to construct a significant memorial in horn of fallen heroes from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. , The Northwood Gratitude and Honor memorial was completed in 2010 and dedicated November 14, 2010. , Members of the community and Gold Star families championed this project since its inception and contributed countless hours of their time including professional design, engineering and construction services. The collaboration between the City, residents and local businesses resulted in a special, one of a kind, commemoration to honor the memories of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This memorial was the first memorial for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to list all those killed in action by name.