Traveling war memorial honors local veterans
From afar, they merely look like display racks. But when you take a closer look, you realize they are the faces of heroes.
The “Remembering our Fallen” moving war memorial in Alpine, Calif. Feb. 28, 2015. (10News)
ALPINE - From afar, they merely look like display racks. But when you take a closer look, you realize they are the faces of heroes.
More than 700 California veterans remembered, 77 from San Diego, are part of the Alpine Wall of Honor. Eighteen new heroes were added to the wall in a ceremony Saturday. Meanwhile, a moving war memorial called “Remembering our Fallen” has been brought to Alpine for the first time.
“These heroes, these are the people we need to be saying thank you to,” said Dan Foster, founder of the Alpine Wall of Honor. “These veterans that lost their lives, we need to say, ‘we’ll never forget you.’ It’s just powerful.”
The ceremony also set the stage for unplanned reunions, veterans who haven’t seen each other since their time in the service. But, it touched more than just those in the military. Civilians say it really puts things into perspective.
“This is where it all begins to show the community what it means to be an American, all of the people on the wall have given a lot for us and as a non-veteran I realize the sacrifice,” Rod Galloway said.
Even before the ceremony began, the family members of the fallen veterans were given an opportunity to walk around the memorial privately, their time to remember loved ones.
Remembering the Fallen is one of 14 such exhibits throughout the nation that were created by Patriotic Productions, a non-profit group based in Omaha. The moving memorial will be at the Alpine Community Center through March 7. It is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information RememberingOurFallen.org.