The path to victory in World War II was paved with the lives of valiant service men and women who fought and died for liberty around the globe. As construction begins on the new WWII Memorial near the state capitol in Phoenix, people can pave the pathways surrounding the Memorial with engraved commemorative bricks honoring the courage and sacrifice of the members of our Armed Services.
Three sizes of memorial pavers are available. 4”x8”, 8”x8” bricks and a 12”x12” granite paver. With a tax-deductible contribution of $125, $500 or $1000, participants may engrave up to three, six or 10 lines of text. These commemorative pavers will be positioned along the walkways between the historic gun barrels from the USS Arizona and USS Missouri.
The WWII Memorial project has been funded by private donations and in-kind contributions without the use of taxpayer dollars. The purchase of a brick will go to support the construction of the memorial.
After two years of planning and development, Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett and the Guns to Salute the Fallen committee have worked to bring the vision of a complete WWII Memorial to the brink of reality. The completed memorial will include a steel structure containing the names of the approximately 2000 Arizonans who died in the war flanked by historic gun barrels from the USS Arizona and USS Missouri which symbolically represent the beginning and end of the war.
“Memorial day offers us the opportunity to remember those who died serving our country,” said Secretary Bennett. “Why not commemorate that sacrifice and honor our military veterans with a unique acknowledgement to their service? These beautiful pavers will be a visible proclamation of our thanks to our military personnel.
“Too often important holidays become just another reason to party, and we forget to honor the reason for the day. Our Nation’s fallen soldiers gave us the opportunity to share and promote the rights of all mankind — the right to live under the blanket known throughout the world as Freedom. That freedom remains intact today for one simple reason — the men and women or our Armed Forces. This Memorial Day, I invite all Arizonans to consider expressing their gratitude with a permanent tribute to their sacrifice and sincere appreciation to the veterans who returned.”
Visit www.GunsToSaluteTheFallen.com to design your commemorative paver. To ensure installation by dedication day on December 7, 2013, orders should be completed by October 1, 2013.