St. Charles Veterans Memorial – St. Charles, Missouri

The St. Charles Veteran’s Memorial honors all those who served this country from its founding to current conflicts. The focal point of the memorial is a five-sided black granite monument. The monument consists of a base slab, five support wedges with one of the military branch medallions engraved on the face of each support, and a top slab on which sits a statue of an eagle taking flight.  Water bubbles up in the middle of the support wedges, runs between them, and drops into a small reflecting pool at the base of the monument. The reflecting pool is very shallow and tapers up to the walkway level, just out of arm’s reach. Walkways radiate out from the five points of the pentagon and extend out from the focal point and slowly fade away, transitioning from solid concrete to stepping-stones, and finally to grass. Concentric walkways run around the reflecting pool and monument, which provide viewing access around the monument, but also allow expansion in the form of future rings.  The memorial is a place where veterans and citizens can go for quiet reflection on their service or celebrate the service and sacrifice of others.