JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Memorial Day, those who laid down their life in service to our country are remembered and honored. In this week's Stories of Service, First Coast News takes a closer look at Jacksonville's enduring symbol of service: the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall.
The wall stands as a proud and solemn reminder of service.
"I think it talks about what Jacksonville is, the fabric of our community and what it means," said Harrison Conyers, supervisor of the Military Affairs and Veterans Department for the city of Jacksonville.
Conyers knows how special the Veterans Memorial Wall is to the citizens of Jacksonville.
"This is the backdrop for Memorial Day, but there are people who come to this wall almost every day of the year and run their hands over those names, and they look at the high schools and the sacrifice those freedoms stand on," said Conyers.
It's jarring to see names of the fallen listed under high schools. More than 1,700 names are on the wall, and some are even Medal of Honor recipients, but all are honored at the largest Memorial Day observance outside of Washington D.C. for giving the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
"It's quite a ceremony, but it's a ceremony because of the people we're honoring and the Gold Star Families we're recognizing and grieving with," Conyers said. "I've been doing this event since 2005 and I've gotten to know these families as we've added names and heard their stories, that's what it means to me, to understand them."
Many people will visit the wall on Memorial Day, but the wall stands proud every day of the year, waiting for people to come read the names of brave men and women.
"Sometimes, they're visiting their dad's name or their mom's name or a son or a daughter," Conyers said. "And sometimes, it's people who have no affiliation whatsoever, they're just patriotic Americans."
Jacksonville's Veterans Memorial Wall is the nation's second largest veterans memorial wall; the only one that is bigger is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.
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