Danville and Pittsylvania County created a permanent reminder that “Freedom is Not Free” at Dan Daniel Memorial Park in 2004. A committee of the Korean Happy Warriors and a local veteran’s organization met for the purpose of erecting a Korean War Memorial. The committee secured the use of a one-acre plot in the park and realized the size could accommodate a much larger vision — a memorial to local veterans of all wars.
Three years later, in 2007, a Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Dan Daniel Memorial Park. The memorial features a black granite wall inscribed with the names of local men and women who died in all of our nation’s conflicts beginning with the Revolutionary War.
Another feature of the memorial is a circular brick walkway, the Memorial Walkway, that is engraved with the names of veterans who served, or are serving, in war and in peace. The bricks honor veterans of all branches of service from the local area and from any location, any war, or any time period.
The Community Foundation served as the fiscal agent for the project, receiving private donations and grants, allowing the memorial to be built and completed debt free. The Foundation still processes brick orders for the memorial.
Plaques
There are 13 granite plaques embedded in the Memorial Walkway to relate a brief history of each of our nation’s conflicts.