America's history of over 240 years, citizens have donned military uniforms, picked up weapons and fought wars at home and abroad to protect and defend the nation, preserve freedom as well as support the Constitution.
New Jersey is proud to honor America's warriors with memorials throughout the state that recognize their sacrifices, valor and commitment during conflicts from World War I to Vietnam. Holmdel is home to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial & Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center. The Education Center is the only one of its kind in the nation. More than 14,000 people a year visit the center that augments the memorial and helps visitors gain a better understanding of the war in Southeast Asia and the surrounding political strife in America.
Continuing the state's efforts to recognize veterans, two new memorials opened in 2010 in Trenton and Wildwood. Trenton's World War II Memorial pays tribute to the greatest military victory for the United States. It was an effort in which every citizen contributed and had a stake in the outcome, both on the front lines and at home. Nearby the WWII Memorial is the Trenton Battle Monument, site of the Continental Army's artillery that was used during the first battle of Trenton in 1776 and the Old Barracks Museum, the only original French and Indian war barracks that played a key role in the first battle of Trenton.
In Wildwood, the Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Wall, the only permanent Vietnam Memorial replica in the Northeast, is an exact, half-size, black granite replica of the official Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The wall features the 58,913 names of our country's fallen heroes from the Vietnam War etched on its panels that stretch for 240 feet along the existing sidewalks of Columbus Park.
In Atlantic City there's The New Jersey State Korean War Memorial that features a 12-foot high statue of "The Mourning Soldier" clutching dog tags. A group of soldiers "under fire" emerges through a sheet of water just to his left. On the back wall of the memorial, beneath an eternal flame, is engraved with the names of the 822 New Jerseyans who were killed or who are still missing as a result of the conflict.
Atlantic City is also home to the World War I Memorial. Built in 1922, it has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since Aug. 28, 1981. It commemorates the major battles of World War I. In the center of the Greek temple like structure is a sculpture by Frederick McMonnies titled "Liberty in Distress." The statue in the rotunda depicts a nude Lady Liberty with a broken sword screaming at the horrors of war. There is a nude male soldier across her leg and other victims and symbols of war at her feet. At the top of the columns on the outer ring of the temple are the names of World War I battles and medallions of the different military services. The memorial is located at O'Donnell Park, S. Albany at Ventnor Ave.
Check out all of New Jersey's historial sites and memorials.
