Lafayette’s newest park, Moncus Park, recently held a ceremony to unveil its Veterans Memorial, according to this article from The Daily Advertiser. The unveiling featured an opening ceremony, ribbon cutting, and several guest speakers who commemorated the Veteran’s Memorial, a project that has been 6 years in the making.

The Moncus Park Veterans Memorial, which was unveiled at a September ceremony that had over 200 people in attendance, is located in front of the park in close proximity to Johnson Street. The memorial itself consists of several large tablets that commemorate United States military involvement in 13 major conflicts. Each tablet is designed with a 400-word history of each war, thus giving contextual perspective to those observing the memorial. Nearby the tablets are brick pavers and seat walls that recognize local veterans and their families.

The founder and Director of Growth and Strategy of the Acadiana Veteran Alliance, Andrew Ward, commented on the memorial at the unveiling by saying, “every city, every town, every parish should have something dedicated to the men and women that gave their lives and their selfless service to our country. This is just a welcome addition; to have this here in central Moncus Park as kind of a shining light is remarkable.”

Moncus Park’s Veterans Memorial Unveiling Ceremony had over 200 people in attendance, and among the honored guests were Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who served as a captain in the U.S. Army, Louisiana Secretary of Veterans Affairs Ret. U.S. Army Col. Joey Strickland and Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Josh Guillory, who served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

In speaking about the ceremony, Governor Edwards said, “we need to make sure that we appreciate and thank our veterans every day and not just wait until Veterans Day. What a tremendous asset this park is, that this memorial is to Lafayette and to Acadiana.”

According to Co-Chairman of the Veterans Memorial Founding Committee Dr. Jon “Skip” Palmintier, it took a total of six years’ worth of planning to bring the memorial to light. Dr. Jon “Skip” Palmintier, who served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Medical Corps, explained that the memorial was designed to be able to fit in the park, be independently beautiful as well, be accompanied by a spirit of peace, and to recognize the sacrifices made by military veterans.

Outside of the unveiling, the ceremony served as a way to honor and recognize those who worked on the landmark from its initial concept to bring it fully to fruition, and it also honored the service members the landmark is designed to appreciate.

In his remarks, Dr. Jon “Skip” Palmintier said, “We are here and this is our veterans’ park, which celebrates anybody that signed their name and joined the armed forces. I can’t tell you how much it means, not only now, but because it’s going to be here for many, many more years to come and we’re hoping that this is just the beginning of programs that we’ll have here for teaching.”

Dr. Palmintier also revealed that the Moncus Park Veterans Memorial will be added as a location on the Veterans Memorial Trail. Additionally, a phone app will be released soon so that those who visit the memorial may learn more about the history of those honored.

Closing the ceremony was the founder of the Acadiana Veteran Alliance Andrew Ward, who served in the U.S. Armyduring Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ward said, “It’s not just to learn about the different pieces of war that make up our history in America. But what you’re supposed to do is really reflect and take in and understand the meaning and the passion and the sacrifice that folks like us gave.”

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