It’s hard to not let this 27-foot pillar, eternal flame sculpture take your breath away when you enter the park. The phrase, “Lest We Forget” is engraved high at the crown of the stainless steel flames. The five granite legs which support the flames contain emblems of the five branches of service. Around the base are seven granite panels containing the names of the area Sioux Center Veterans dating back to WWI.

Lifelike collages of Veterans’ names and photos from the nation’s conflicts and wars dating back to Revolutionary War are beautifully etched into several panels and benches. The local high school history class created a timeline of events etched into the backs of the bench which surrounds this impressive memorial.

Orange City is proud to honor its Veterans through hosting Wreaths Across America. This wreath idea started in 1992 when the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, ME, had 5,000 extra wreaths after the holidays. They donated the wreaths to be placed at many of the headstones at the Arlington National Cemetery. This caused a national movement, and 14 years later Wreaths Across America became a non-profit. Now more than 2,000 cemeteries and memorials participate by laying wreaths for our Veterans. Sioux Center began this in 2015 and is one of those locations that honors the Veterans in the Memorial Gardens each year.