Part one in a series of posts meant to help me reconnect with my home town and the areas around it while educating the public about the numerous places to see and experience. First of is Veterans Park in Brownsville. Last week I took a trip to see it for myself since I have never been here before, having been gone from the area for almost 20 years. What I found was a respectful and educational memorial to the areas’ veterans.

Veterans Park is located next to the city library and shares an entrance drive and parking.  It consists of veteran memorial walls and placards, a multi-purpose lawn, a walking path, and landscaping. Celebrating the rich heritage of veterans from the Brownsville community, this park is a beautiful living memorial. (City of Brownsville, 2020)

The park focuses on large concave concrete slabs that include the names of Brownsville area veterans from World War II to Afghanistan with each slab holding 40 names each. Currently there are more than 50,000 names of both living and deceased soldiers native to Brownsville. The center of the memorial contains three large flag poles centered on a concrete base with a start embedded within it. There is also a memorial to Medal of Honor Recipient, and Brownsville native, Sergeant Jose M Lopez.

The monument honors veterans from World War II to current conflicts, including the Afghanistan War and its Operation Enduring Freedom. The American Legion aimed to make the park an educational extension of the library by creating two murals showing the locations of conflicts on world maps from the 18^th century to present.

If you decide to visit a park or trail, please abide Second Amended Emergency Order guidelines.  Protect yourself and others. Make sure you are wearing a face mask (face covering) and always practice social distancing.  Maintain distance–Stay 6 feet away from other people.  Avoid mass gathering. No crowds, no groups