Washington County Veterans Memorial

Washington County Veterans Memorial. . American Revolutionary War 1775-1783, War of 18 12 1812-1815, Mexican-American War 1846-1848, American Civil War April 12, 1861 - April 9, 1865, Spanish-American War April 25 - August 12, 1898, World War I August 1914 - November 11, 1918, World War II December 8, 1941 - August 14, 1945, Korean War June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953, Vietnam War 1959 - April 30, 1975, The American Patriot , From the era of the Minutemen, to the men and women today, who have taken "The Military Oath" to serve, protect and defend The United States of America, and have lived beyond the times of your fight, we have no words to express our sincere gratitude, except to say: Thank you for protecting "The Land of the Free"., You truly understood, and still do. It is you of whom w speak of when we say America is... "The Home of the Brave", The Symbolism and Numerology Found in the Washington County Veterans Memorial, This memorial is constructed of materials found native to Indiana, in appreciation of the natural resources provided by God and which drew our forefathers to settle in this state., The memorial rests on a total of 76 pavers. The American way of life is wholly dependent, and is founded, upon that Spirit of '76 which was so eloquently expressed by the great statesmen of the era, and to which those men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor., The pavers are arranged in a grid pattern which is 13 pavers long. This gives recognition to the 13 original colonies that declared themselves free and independent from tyranny, at that time represented by Great Britain. The grid is also 6 pavers wide, which makes this memorial uniquely suited to Indiana, the 6th state added after the formation of the Union., You will notice a missing paver at the southeast corner of this grid. This serves to remind us of the unknown soldiers from all our wars, whose deaths were so complete that even their identity is lost and gone forever. There is also a missing paver at the northwest corner, and its absence reminds us of the absence of our former and present MIA's and our POW's during their captivity., Emerging from the pavers are 21 uprights. These are symbolic of a 21-gun salute given for those who have fallen in wartime., The uprights are placed chronologically from east to west, symbolic of the settlement pattern of both our country and our county. Every major conflict of the United States is represented here except the Spanish-American War. To our present knowledge, we are not aware of any Washington County native who died during that conflict. We do not have a column for that conflict because it is not our desire to glorify the concept of war, but rather to remember the men who fought for our nation's freedoms and, more importantly, to honor those who gave their lives in maintaining those same freedoms. Upon the Revolutionary War uprights and two of the War of 18 12 uprights are found whole and complete columns which also match the columns found on our county courthouse. After fighting our first and second Wars for Independence, the names on these columns either came or returned to our area and lived whole and complete lives, many by becoming pillars in the communities of our county., Atop the remainder of the uprights are broken columns. The broken column has been symbolic of loss of life for over a century, and we use it for that purpose here. Each one is different and unique, emblematic of the uniqueness which each name under them represents., Five ashlars are to be found crowning the complete columns of this memorial, just as the human hand has five fingers, and the human foot has five toes, let this remind us of the hands that dug the trenches, held the guns, and raised our flag on the battlefields, and the feet that marched into war, and stood for our way of life, protecting the freedoms and opportunities which are the envy of the rest of the world. , You will find these ashlars in various unfinished states, never to be is never done. refined or polished. Let us always remember that there is work to do and that the job of making America a better place to live is never done., In conclusion, we hope this memorial inspires you to be the best American you can be so that the cause for which these men who fough and died may continue to flourish and prosper.