Brookfield in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Veterans Memorial Circle
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 20, 2023
1. Veterans Memorial Circle
[Two stones across the street on either side of the circle, along the median on Broadway Avenue, have identical text. They were dedicated when the original Veterans Memorial Circle was unveiled in 1973.]
Let none forget
they gave their all
and faltered not
when came the call
Erected 1973 by Brookfield Veterans Memorial Association.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: Military.
Location. 41° 49.654′ N, 87° 51.091′ W. Marker is in Brookfield, Illinois, in Cook County. Memorial is at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Grand Boulevard when traveling north on Broadway Avenue. Veterans Memorial Circle is in the center of Brookfield at a roundabout also known as 8 Corners, where four streets converge: Grand Boulevard, Maple Avenue, Broadway Avenue and Washington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9200 Broadway Avenue, Brookfield IL 60513, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Baboon Island (approx. 0.9 miles away); La Grange Park Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Swamp (approx. 0.9 miles away);
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More about this marker. This concrete memorial fountain at Brookfield's 8 Corners was dedicated in June 2023, a complete rebuilding of the original veterans memorial circle that was erected at the roundabout in July 1973. That old memorial featured a more modest fountain as well as several monuments dedicated to individual wars, but the location was a frequent site of accidents and not easily accessible for pedestrians. The monuments that previously stood at the site were moved ⅓ of a mile southeast down Grand Boulevard to the triangular Veterans Memorial Park, where they sit today. Two markers related to the 1973 dedication of the monument remain in place across the street from the circle.
The new circle features the emblems of each of the branches of the U.S. Armed Services. The circle was officially re-dedicated in June 2023, a week later than its planned Memorial Day opening, in part due to a
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 20, 2023
2. Veterans Memorial Circle Marker
An array of veterans groups in Brookfield dedicated this marker in 1973 in the median on Broadway Avenue, across from Veterans Memorial Circle to its northeast. An identical marker is exactly opposite this marker on Broadway to the southwest.
Regarding Veterans Memorial Circle. A tablet listing Brookfield's war dead was among the monuments that were moved from this circle to Veterans Memorial Park about ⅓ of a mile southeast on Grand Boulevard. The list of veterans on that tablet includes 3 local casualties from World War I, 52 from World War II, 4 from Korea and 5 from Vietnam.
Also see . . .
1. Brookfield Rededicates Veterans Memorial Circle. A June 2023 article about the unveiling of the new circle. (Submitted on November 24, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. A fountain of memories. A 2006 article in the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark examines the history of Veterans Memorial Circle, from its 1958 design as a roundabout to the plan in the early 1970s to combine the village's numerous small war memorials into one big memorial. (Submitted on November 24, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 20, 2023
3. Veterans Memorial Circle
View from the circle, facing east. The fountain was turned off for the winter when visited, but when running it includes LED color-changing lights.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 24, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
