Guilford County Veterans Memorial, Greensboro
Alex Tait and John Yanson, Exhibit Design , Designer
Moser Mayer Phoenix Associates, PA - Greensboro, NC, Architect
The Guilford County Veterans Memorial is an approximately one-acre memorial complex that contains a curved entryway with the inscription “Welcome to All Visitors.” It is an open circular area marked by a ring of memorial walls filled with inscriptions, with maps and details of Guilford County’s participation in various foreign wars. In the center of these walls stands an obelisk with four sides. On each side of the obelisk there is a bronze plaque dedicated to the memory of those who have served in the military. One wall displays the service seals of all the branches of the United States Military. A ring of bricks lists the names of Guilford County citizens who served in the military. There are two exit paths leading out and posted at the exit is a bronze plaque with the inscription, “When you go home, Tell them of us and say: For your tomorrow, We gave our today.” Several benches surround the memorial complex.
Front, left entrance wall: Guilford County Veterans Memorial
Front, plaque on left entrance wall: This memorial records their fame and preserves / their memory. They followed the path of duty. / Sir Winston Churchill
Inside, top plaque on left entrance wall: DEDICATED / SEPTEMBER 14, 2002
Inside, upper middle plaque on left entrance wall: GUILFORD COUNTY / VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMITTEE / William H. Craft, Chairman / Louis P. Godwin, Vice Chairman / William F. Black / Edward C. Carson / Walter C. Cockerham / Joseph E. (Ed) Deaton / John M. Farmer / William C. Harris / Nathan B. (Ned) Harrison / Curtis L. Laughlin, Jr. / Carl Seager / Al C. Stewart, Jr. / B. Thomas Ward, Jr.
Inside, lower middle plaque on left entrance wall: WALTER C. COCKERHAM – BUILDER
Inside, bottom plaque on left entrance wall: MOSER MAYER PHOENIX ASSOCIATES, P.A. / ARCHITECTS
Front, Bronze Plaque on Obelisk: Dedicated / to / Those Who Served America / in the / Twentieth Century
Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission
September 14, 2002
36.124460 , -79.836700
View in Geobrowse
"Guilford County Veterans Memorial, Greensboro, North Carolina," Waymarking.org, (accessed June 10, 2015) Link
Clark, Doug. “Veterans ' Memorial Holds Special Place,”News & Record (Greensboro, NC), April 21, 2010
Guilford County, NC VETERANS MEMORIAL, http://gcveteransmemorial.org, (accessed January 21, 2015) Link
Jenkins, Colleen. “Veterans Ask for Park Space - The Proposed Stone Memorial May Include Excerpts From Veterans’ Letters and A Chapel Or Garden,”News & Record(Greensboro, NC), August 8, 2000
Veterans Memorial Is Under Way,” News & Record (Greensboro, NC), November 29, 2001
Wayne, Alex. “A Memorial Built on Honor: Commemorative Bricks Recognize Guilford Veterans,” News & Record (Greensboro, NC), September 14, 2002
Yes
Brick, granite, bronze
Members of the Guilford County Veterans Memorial Committee: William F. Craft, Chairman; Louis B. Godwin, Vice Chairman; William F. Black; Edward C. Carson; Walter C. Cockerham; Joseph E. (Ed) Deaton; John M. Farmer; William C. Harris; Nathan B. (Ned) Harrison; Curtis L. Laughlin, Jr.; Carl Seager; Al C. Stewart, Jr.; B. Thomas Ward, Jr.
$400,000
Close to a thousand people gathered to observe the dedication of the Guilford County Veterans Memorial on September 14, 2002. The 82nd Airborne’s band played a medley of songs and marched at a spot across the lake from the memorial. Bill Craft, chairman of the committee which built the memorial, gave a speech to open the event. Retired Major General John Admire, President of the Oak Ridge Military Academy, acted as the keynote speaker. Following his speech a bugle played the tune of taps to round off the ceremony. During the day families had the opportunity to explore the memorial and look over the many commemorative bricks.
The Ring of Bricks featured inside the memorial displays names of service members from the Spanish-American War to the War in Bosnia. One may search for specific names on these bricks on the memorial’s website at http://gcveteransmemorial.org
The Guilford County Veterans Memorial is located in Country Park at 330 South Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401.
The complex is built in a beautiful wooded area by the Greensboro Country Park Lake Five B.
In recent years, Memorial Day and Veterans Day Programs have been hosted at this site including Black Caps Veterans Group ceremonies.
Bill Craft and five of his close veteran friends proposed the building of a veteran’s memorial in Country Park to the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday, August 9, 2000.
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