The Freeport Veterans Memorial at Casey Park now boasts a new dedication area named Hero Walk. The walkway surrounding an obelisk features dedication bricks of area Armed Forces veterans.
For the last several months, dedication bricks have been installed, and now total about 160. A dedication for Hero Walk was held at the Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2016.
“We have been asked over the years to please do something so that local families could buy bricks for their veterans, and with that, the Hero Walk concept became a reality. We opened the sales up to all of Walton County as Freeport has the only full veterans memorial in the county,” said project coordinator Tim Ard.
Bricks can be purchased at a cost of $75.00. For purchase information, contact Tim Ard, Freeport Veterans Memorial chair at 850-585-3304.
The dream of the Veterans Memorial came to fruition with the dedication of area residents wanting a special place to honor veterans. It started back in 2010, when city historian, Becky Buxton drafted a letter on behalf of Freeport resident Trudy Boudreaux requesting the Freeport Town Planters Society to take on a project for a memorial garden to pay tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces. The response was overwhelming, a committee was formed, and the Memorial opened in 2010. In 2011 branch service flag poles were added, then in 2012 a Fallen Soldier monument, sponsor walk, and a POW/MIA stone and flagpole was installed.