Lined with brick walking trails, this plaza features three, lifelike bronze sculptures. Positioned beside a wall of Veteran’s names is a bronze of a younger man holding the arm of an elderly woman, who is pointing out a name on the wall. A bronze statue of a soldier in uniform honors those Veterans from the Pottawattamie County who were killed in action in the Vietnam War. Also featured in the plaza is a bronze of a young boy holding the folded American Flag, as a remembrance of his loved one lost in war.

This memorial plaza, dedicated in 2003, is located in Bayliss Park on the east side of Council Bluffs. A large monument was built in the center of the plaza on a stone base and features four spirals with wire mesh. A long, narrow, brick walkway leads to a tall pillar dedicated to William Kinsman. He was from Council Bluffs and became a Colonel in the Iowa Infantry. During the Civil War, his Infantry led Iowan troops against the Confederates along the Mississippi River. Kinsman was fatally wounded and buried at the battlefield. Years later, Veterans recovered the Colonel’s remains and returned them to Council Bluffs. The monument, dedicated in 1902, is surrounded by four cannons.

A touching poem “The Glory of Their Spirit” by Richard W. Peterson is etched into a long wall. Tombstones stand in memory of those who died or were lost in the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Persian Gulf War and the War on Terrorism.

Two bronze plaques were embedded into a large boulder that commemorates early travelers along the Mormon trail through Council Bluffs, formerly known as Kanesville. An image displays pioneers who crossed Iowa by horseback and covered wagon in pursuit of finding their settlements.

A monument, dedicated in 1926, honors the Woman’s Relief Corps from 1861-1865. The Corps, created by President Abraham Lincoln, is the official women’s auxiliary founded during the Civil War to provide aid to Veterans and their families after the War. It was also created to help ensure the memory and historic sites of those who served during this war would be preserved for future generations to learn about the war. Some sites were in danger of being developed into business or residential areas. The Woman’s Relief Corps worked to pay for the land to protect these sites from such development and turned into memorial parks and historical sites. A second pillar, dedicated in 1932, honors the auxiliary of the Spanish War, Cuba, Philippine Islands, Porto Rico and the United States.