Bremen City Mayor Sharon Sewell recently announced the construction of a new Veterans Park. The City is working with other local organizations to re-establish the existing park to honor Bremen’s veterans.
Sewell detailed the upcoming changes to the park in a letter addressed to the City’s community partners.
“The focal point of the existing plan is a ground-level pentagon with each side representing a branch of the military,” said Sewell. “Various military flags will flank a large, centralized American flag. The pentagon will house in-ground lighting for the flagpoles. Granite memorial pavers, twelve inches by twelve inches, will be placed in the area of the pentagon and will be available for engraving the names and military service of individuals.”
The monuments that are currently located in the park will be moved to the pentagon area.
Sewell noted that the park will also feature a walkway that offers symbolic reference to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C.
“For many years now, a multitude of Bremen school students have traveled together to tour Washington, D.C.,” said Sewell. “A highlight of those trips has been to visit Arlington National Cemetery to experience the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”
Sewell described a planned walkway to honor military service members in a manner similar to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, whose guards march twenty-one paces next to the Tomb.
“Twenty-one symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed, the twenty-one gun salute,” she said. “In the Bremen Veterans Park, there will be a walkway three feet wide, and sixty-three feet long that simulates the Tomb Guard pathway to provide a salute to all unknown military members, and to provide an interactive opportunity for students, young and old alike, to pace out the twenty-one steps.”
The park will include a designated burn-pit that will be used exclusively for the retiring of old flags in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code, which states that flags must be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
The park will feature a paved, handicapped-accessible walkway around the park with six-foot metal benches spaced around the park. The park will also have a paved area for parking.
The Bremen Veterans Park is a partnership project of the Bremen Junior Woman’s Club, The Bremen Railroad and Textile Museum Board, and the City of Bremen. Sewell said work on the new park is expected to begin near the end of the month.
“The degree to which we can promptly complete the plan will depend on the financial resources available,” said Sewell. “If needed, we will construct the park in phases.”
Help get involved in the new Bremen Veterans Park by offering a donation or purchasing an engraved space at the park. Memorial pavers can be engraved and placed for $200. Benches surrounding the park will have memorial plaques attached, which can be engraved for $750. Construction of the burn-pit will cost $2,500. Sewell encouraged community members and organizations to help fund the cost of any items in the park.
For more information, visit Bremen City Hall at 232 Tallapoosa Street in Bremen, or call 770-537-2331.
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