Honoring all veterans, regardless of branch, rank, or duty under which they served.

Overview

Many men and women throughout the years have served our country in the military to ensure our way of life. In appreciation, the City of St. Peters has donated the land and erected a monument dedicated to those individuals who went off to war and never came back, to those that came back in part, and to all who gave even the smallest effort to protect and serve mankind.

The memorial began when some St. Peters residents approached the City with the idea of a monument to honor local veterans. The Veterans Memorial was erected in 1998 and dedicated on October 3 of that year. Soon after, several residents and elected officials decided that the memorial needed something more. The memorial is meant to be a place of reflection, peace, and tranquility and it was important that whatever was added fit with that goal.

City officials considered several suggestions and eventually agreed that it would be appropriate to commission two statues representing all servicemen and servicewomen. The statues were sculpted using authentic military memorabilia as models. On Memorial Day 2000, the statues were unveiled.

Veterans Memorial Commission

The Board of Aldermen passed a Resolution forming a Veterans Memorial Commission on September 11, 2003, to oversee the planning for all observances held at the City’s Veterans Memorial. The Veterans Memorial Commission also makes recommendations for the preservation and upkeep of the Veterans Memorial as well as any other war memorials in the City. In addition, the Commission advises the Board of Aldermen on other matters concerning veterans’ affairs.

One of the first acts of the newly formed commission was to finish the Veterans Memorial park, which they did by dedicating the Field of Honor during the 2003 Veterans Day ceremony. The Field of Honor consists of a 16-foot diameter pool featuring a granite disk with six rifles projecting from it. On the end of the rifle stocks are helmets to represent a field of honor. This pool is in the center and connected to two 12-foot pools, with fountains rising out of each.

Ceremonies

The St. Peters Veterans Memorial is the centerpiece for several ceremonies held each year with participation from local veterans’ organizations.

• On Memorial Day each year, the ceremony remembers those who have lost their lives in service to our country.
• The Veterans Day recognition is held each year to remember all veterans, both past and present.
• And, a Pearl Harbor remembrance on Dec. 7 each year commemorates the sacrifices of more than 3,000 U.S. citizens who were killed or wounded when the Imperial Japanese Navy and Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, causing the United States to enter into World War II.