Action Tips: Build a Memorial for the Troops

Every year, hundreds of soldiers sacrifice their lives to protect our country. Commemorate their efforts than to make a local memorial.

Find an ideal location.

• With the approval of the owner of the land (city hall, your school, the veterans’ hospital etc), plot out a quiet area in a peaceful setting.

Prepare to get dirty.

• Pull out your green thumb and plant some flowers to symbolize the fallen soldiers and veterans. Pick some annual plants that require minimal care. Flowers like geraniums and poppies will produce seeds after a year, come in patriotic colors and represent remembrance.

Pick the main focus of the memorial.

• Install a small reflecting pool or water fountain to bring an extra tranquil feel to the spot.
• Use some wood from shop or drama class that you can make into posts that stick out of the ground.
• Place stones around the memorial or in a shape that represents remembrance.

Display information

• There should be writing on the stones, posts, or other central piece that denotes that the area is dedicated to all US veterans or to which troop or war.

Hold a ceremony

• Choose a day or night where you can gather the community to remember the fallen. Hold a candlelight vigil or a ceremony where friends and families of those who know war veterans, past and present, can take the time to honor their loved ones.

What if you lack the resources or space?

• Set up an online memorial for those who died for our country, and spread the word to everyone you know.