Purpose of the Memorial

The Veterans Memorial in Washington Park honors military service personnel from Waukegan who served their country while a citizen of the city of Waukegan. However, it is important that the space not only function as an honor to all those who have served in the Armed Forces and a memorial to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy, it should also be a space where people can feel the pride in being an American regardless of their status as a veteran or civilian.

Features of the memorial plaza include: a 36-inch diameter granite globe that floats on water; the statue of the doughboy that once stood in front of the Homer Dahringer American Legion Post; five plaques representing the branches of the military; engraved pavers memorializing veterans or current members of the U.S. military; a statue of Orion Howe, who is the youngest soldier to ever receive the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor; and the largest bronze flag wall sculpture in the United States, which was dedicated on Veterans’ Day, 2008.