THE SOLDIERS FIELD VETERANS MEMORIAL

from Rochester Area Visitor - April 2023

Extraordinary Red Wing

Many people and contractors in the construction trade, plus many others, donated their time, talent and materials to make this Memorial one of the finest in the country. It was built without the use of tax dollars, and all committee members are unpaid volunteers. An interest bearing perpetual fund of $500,000 was established to maintain the Memorial.

Located five blocks south of the Mayo Clinic, at 300 7th St. S.W., it consists of four circular granite walls, a 12’ x 51’ main wall, 50 trees, 4,920 pavers, 36 granite benches, the U.S. flag, the Minnesota flag, six Armed Forces flags and the POW/MIA flag.

The outside walls feature battle graphics from the Civil War to the Gulf War, and the inside walls are engraved with stories of important military events from the Revolutionary

War to the Gulf War. Educational markers that show the history and proper etiquette of the American flag stand inside of the memorial. Statues of a mother and child, and a nurse and a medic treating a wounded soldier stand near the Wall of Remembrance. The logos of the Military Academies are engraved on the rear of the Wall as well. There is a small complex featuring a statue of a WW-II soldier at the corner of 6th St. and 2nd Ave S.W., the entrance to the Memorial.

Cannons from the Gulf War and World War I are on display. Primary funding came from the sale of pavers, purchased by or for veterans, that form the walkway surrounding the Memorial. The 8”x20” feature that contain the name of a veteran, when they served, and the branch they served in.

A focal point of the Memorial is a granite wall 12’ high by fifty one feet long that contains the names of over 2,300 people, from S.E. Minnesota, who died as a result of injuries sustained in service to our country from the Civil War to the present.