Greater Cleveland Veterans Memorial Inc

About Greater Cleveland Veterans Memorial Inc

Created in 1988, the Greater Cleveland Veteran's Memorial, Inc. (initially named the Greater Cleveland Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Inc.) was formed to honor those who served, died, or were declared missing in Vietnam from the Greater Cleveland area, defined as Cuyahoga county. This initial band of Vietnam veterans, however, recognized the need for a broader mission and the participation of veterans of all wars in this special project. The scope of the evolving GCVM mission: to create and maintain an appropriate memorial to those Greater Clevelanders who died or were declared missing in service to our nation in the wars that have taken place in the 20th century. Our mission expanded to include the casualties of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the most challenging tasks was to compile and verify the names of servicemen killed or missing from the Greater Cleveland area. At its dedication in 1964, on the granite basin of the Veterans' Memorial Plaza (formerly Mall 'A'), Marshall Fredericks' majestic centerpiece (the Fountain of Eternal Life, symbolizing mankind rising out of the ashes of war), are names of World War II and Korean War casualties from Greater Cleveland who perished in those wars. Marshall Fredericks described his central Figure, towering 46 feet above the basin, in this way: