JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Veterans, service members, government leaders, loved ones and other citizens gathered Monday morning in memory of Jacksonville’s fallen heroes at the city’s annual Memorial Day observance at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall on East Adams Street.
The wall honors the brave men and women who lost their lives in service to our country in the U.S. Armed Forces.
No new names have been added to the wall over the last year.
The Navy Band Southeast and The Voices of Jacksonville performed, and the keynote speaker was retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Mary Jackson.
The Veterans Memorial Wall, a 65-foot-long, black, granite monument that stands behind a torch with an eternal flame, was dedicated in November 1995 and serves as a tribute to 1,700 Jacksonville-area American heroes.
It’s the second largest memorial wall in the nation, behind only the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and recognizes the names of service members who lost their lives in duty since World War I.
It’s the only wall in the nation that honors veterans from all seven service branches, including the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and Space Force.