The rollout for a $10 million venture to bring a series of monuments to Florida National Cemetery will be announced this week in The Villages.
The Joint Veterans Support Committee (JVSC) is working to bring the Freedom Memorial Plaza to the national cemetery. It will be located near the entrance to the Bushnell facility, will encompass two-plus acres and will be inner-connected by sidewalks.
The JVSC will be responsible for the project, including fundraising, design, and submission of details to the Department of Veterans Affairs for final approval. Those wishing to learn more about the project are welcome to attend a gathering Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Eisenhower Recreation Center.
The initial focus will be on two of the 16 monuments. A “Military Honors Funeral” will include two life-sized bronzed military figures folding a red, white and blue powder-coated American flag over a bronze casket. It will be surrounded by 7-feet-tall granite columns depicting other facets of a military honors funeral.
The columns will include porcelain pictures and emblems representing all branches of service, as well as scenes of a bugler playing taps, a chaplain, presentation of a folded flag to next of kin, an honor guard, a 21-gun salute, a missing-man flyover and a caisson.
A 470-foot-long “Defenders of Freedom Wall” will consist of etched black granite plates depicting scenes beginning with the Revolutionary War and progressing through today’s defenses for freedom. The etchings on the 6-foot panels will be generated from photographs submitted by volunteers and organizations wishing to sponsor a section. Those wishing to do so will be asked to donate funds for that portion of the wall and submit photos to be used, which will then be sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs for final approval.
The themes for the remaining 14 monuments haven’t yet been determined. A “Gold Star Families” Monument is expected to gain interest. And others being considered are Vietnam War, Native American, POW-MIA, Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, Women Veterans, Special Forces, World War II, Korean War and Iraq/Afghanistan. Those with ideas for other monuments are encouraged to share ideas the JVSC.
These monuments will be the first to be erected at the Florida National Cemetery, which is located just off Interstate 75 at the edge of the Withlacoochee Forest in Bushnell. It is the largest national cemetery in Florida with 169,000 interred and the second most active in the United States with 7,000 interments per year.
Those who want to volunteer to be a member of the JVSC Monument Committee, make donations or have further questions are encouraged to visit JVSC.US.