This is an 8 sided octagonal memorial. There is also a smaller memorial with a lengthy inscription. Beneath each side are rows and rows of inscripted names, with stars indicating those who made the supreme sacrifice with their lives.
On the 8 sides: Front: World War II Veterans Memorial A Promise Fulfilled. Side 2 Victory Side 3 Country Side 4 Liberty Side 5 WWII Veterans Memorial Manchester NH Side 6 Loyalty Side 7 Honor We dedicate our Manchester World War II Veteran's Memorial to honor the men and women from Manchester who served their country in the armed services during World War II God bless them and God bless America Memorial dedicated on Sunday August 23, 2009. Side 8 Valor.
As mentioned, there is also a smaller marker that has this inscription:Plaque Text You stand before a promise fulfilled. Back on Sept. 17, 1944, more than 15,000 people gathered here on the Merrimack Common as the city of Manchester unveiled an honor roll, a monument to recognize the men and women from the queen city who were serving in World War II. "I accept with pleasure and pride, this very elegant and original, though temporary honor roll," said Mayor Josaphat T. Benoit. It was temporary, but it was elegant nonetheless. A 12-foot hexagonal design on a concrete foundation, with weather-proof plywood panels covered with glass
panes, with space for 10,000 names. There were 8,517 names on the honor roll that first day. As the war raged on, there were more and more names added to the monument, which was a magnet for friends, family members and just plain passers-by. As more and more men and women from Manchester joined the armed forces, more and more names were added to the honor roll. As the names multiplied, so did the challenges that confronted the honor roll. Indifference and the elements conspired against the wooden monument, which fell into disrepair, and in 1958,the honor roll was dismantled and destroyed. Now more that half a century later, a dedicated group of volunteers has recreated that honor roll, a permanent one, at what we know today as Veterans Park. The people of Manchester made a promise to those who went off to serve during World War II. It was a promise to remember their courage and their sacrifice. You stand before a promise fulfilled.
John Clayton
Author/Columnist
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