Bronze statues representing American veterans who fought for the United States throughout its 250-year history are ready to be seen in a different light.
While the 18 towering figures and their mammoth granite-wall backdrop have existed for over a decade, their new home in far northwest Las Vegas has not.
Workers on Monday morning were putting finishing touches at the Nevada State Veterans Memorial at Thunderbird Family Sports Complex.
The site should be completed by Veterans Day, when the city is hosting a dedication that will include a flyover from Nellis Air Force Base and a Joint Armed Forces Color Guard ceremony.
The public event Wednesday, at 6105 N. Durango Drive, is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
Las Vegas Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske previewed the site on Monday.
“It’s wonderful that we can do this for our veteran population here in Southern Nevada, one of the largest populations in America,” she told reporters.
Dignitaries and veterans gathered there last Veterans Day, when the site was a deserted plot of land with $0 earmarked toward construction. Mayor Shelley Berkley kicked off a fundraiser that day with a $25,000 commitment from a discretionary fund she has control over through her elected position.
The new memorial, a partnership between the city of Las Vegas, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, and the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas LIFE — an independent nonprofit — started to come together more than two years ago.
It became a necessity after its former home at the Sawyer Building government complex was tagged to be demolished to make room for a housing project.
The new space, built by Rafael Construction, includes an open-air promenade, an amphitheater, shade and landscaping. It honors more than 200,000 veterans who call Nevada home, and those who want to visit from out of state, Allen-Palenske noted.
In 2011, Nevada commissioned sculptor Douwe Blumberg to craft the statues, which stand 7.5-feet tall. Each figure represents a soldier from a different U.S. military conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War.
Lights will illuminate the figures from below. The wall has etched quotes from figures like former presidents and legendary war fighters.
“We’re grateful for this to be its forever home in the northwest,” Allen-Palenske said. “And there’s actually a little bit more land behind it if we want to extend the memorial.”
The councilwoman envisions a future expansion that transforms the memorial to look similar to one at the National Mall in Washington.
“That’s my hope in the future,” Allen-Palenske added.
For now, she said, the city was working with local school systems to facilitate programming so that visitors can learn American history and veterans’ sacrifices.
“As time evolves, it’s the statues that tell the story of our previous wars, so it’s going to be fabulous for our students,” she said. “I can see field trips here, and having lunch, and hearing kids play on the playground … There’s no better testament to the fight for freedom than to hear kids playing in the adjacency.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
