Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial is an impressive 3.5 to 5 million dollar Memorial that was built to honor those who died from injuries sustained in the service and dedicated to all those who served. It was built without the use of tax dollars and all committee members are unpaid volunteers. Located just five blocks South of the Mayo Clinic, at 300 7th St SW, it consists of four 35-foot circular granite walls, a 12’ X 50’ main wall, fifty trees, 4,920 pavers, 21 sponsored benches, and the six Armed Forces Flags plus the Minnesota, POW/MIA and the US 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. A statue of a widow and her son, receiving a telegram, notifying her of the death of her husband, sits in front of the Wall of Remembrance. Statues of a Nurse and Medic treating a wounded soldier on the battlefield are located south of the Wall of Remembrance. A WW II statue stands in a complex at the corner of 6th St. and 2nd Ave SW, the entrance to the Memorial.
Educational markers showing the history and proper etiquette of the American Flag are located inside the walls of the Memorial. The logos of the Military Academies are engraved on the rear of the Wall.
Primary funding came from the sale of pavers, purchased by or for veterans that form the walkways within the Memorial. The pavers are a piece of granite 8” X 20” that contain the name of a veteran, when they served, and the branch they served in. They were sold at $350.00 each. Other fund raising included sponsorship of a bench for $5,000.00, a tree for $500.00, and a flagpole for $2,500.00. We also had many other fundraisers such as golf tournaments, auctions, and sale of pins and medallions. Bob DeWitz, of DeWitz Home Builders, volunteered his expertise for the construction of the Memorial and soliciting people in the construction industry to donate time or material.
Focal point of the Memorial is the Wall of Remembrance, a granite wall twelve feet high by fifty feet long that contains the names of over 2300 men and women, from S.E. Minnesota, that died as a result of injuries sustained in the service from the Civil War to the present.
Canons from the Gulf War and World War I are also located on site.
