Veterans Tribute Tower - Williamsburg, Virginia
The dedication of a permanent Veterans Tribute Tower on 11/11/11 complemented by a Veterans Day Parade in Williamsburg , Virginia on 11/12/11 will be one of the highlights of the Virginia Veterans Tribute weekend to honor our deserved Veterans.
The New Town area here in Williamsburg has approved a site for the memorial and has generously transferred the property ownership to James City County. The site is located on Discovery Park Boulevard where we will erect the elegant, 32 ft high Veterans Tribute Tower. The memorial will be built by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Since 1842 The Verdin Company and six generations of the Verdin family have been dedicated to making the finest cast bronze bells, carillons, digital bells, tower clocks memorials and monuments, as stately tributes to enhance the presence or message of Cities and Towns, Churches, Educational Institutions, and Public Service Memorials throughout the country.
Among Verdins’ noteworthy works to behold include pieces designed and erected at the Smithsonian Institute, the University of Notre Dame, and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. These landmarks are intended to and effectively make an appropriate statement of tradition and commemoration for the institutions that they represent.
The dedication of a limited edition Veterans Tribute Tower by Verdin has grown to become a participatory event once again designed to “Salute the Past, Honor the Present, and Inspire the Future”. To date four of these Veteran Tribute Towers have been erected in cities nationally to honor our Veterans.
The dedication ceremony beings when the Bell Foundry on Wheels leaves the Verdin Company in Cincinnati, Ohio with a motorcycle escort comprised of Patriot Rider Veterans. The foundry will then be greeted at the Virginia border by an additional contingent of Veterans from Virginia to help escort the foundry Use the below link if you are a Veteran and would like sign up and join the Patriot Riders when they reach the Virginia boarder. Click Here for Membership in the Patriot Guard Riders. If you are a current Patriot Guard member you are welcome to join the escort as they enter the state of Virginia. Please click here and fill out the registration form if you are interested.
Once the travelling foundry arrives, we have in the past arranged for a Medal of Honor Winner to speak at a local school assembly and plan to do the same for the Williamsburg dedication. The Medal of Honor winner will tell his story and the children in attendance can then engage in Q and A. It is always a huge hit. At the end of the assembly the children are given ingots and reminded of the special words of freedom, liberty, and courage, that are ascribed to and that we owe to our Veterans. They then bring their ingots to the foundry and the site of the memorial where their ingots then become part of the 500 pound bell that will be forged on site. They then own a piece of that bell and the Veterans Tribute Tower forever.
There will be an official representative from each branch of the service that will participate in the ceremony itself along with a selected keynote speaker.
Once dedicated Clock Tower will chime on the hour and is programmed to play Patriotic tunes for visitors listening enjoyment.
The dedication of the Veteran Tribute Tower will establish a permanent landmark for Veterans, all citizens of Virginia, in our community here in Williamsburg. It will ensure 11/11/11 as a special day for Veterans, their families, and all will who attend the memorable ceremony. This landmark will then become a destination point for Veterans and visitors to Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle in the future, providing a majestic and moving setting for those wishing to stop to reflect and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed so much in making this country the great one that we enjoy.
Veterans Tribute Tower Facts:
• The tower will be 30 feet tall
• The 3’ diameter clock dial will remind us to “Take Time To Remember” our veterans
• The bell will weigh 250 pounds and be 24” in diameter
• The bell will ring with the musical note "E"
• The bell will be cast in Williamsburg VA using Verdin’s one-of-a-kind “Bell Foundry on Wheels.” Verdin’s “Bell Foundry on Wheels” is the only on-site casting process in the world.
• The tower will contain an electronic carillon system that can be programmed to play chimes and patriotic/commemorative music daily or during special events.
More information about the tower and ceremonies can be found at: http://www.verdin.com/veterans.
Click Here for Verdin's Veteran's Tribute Bell Tower Brochure. A similar tower was installed in Odgen, Utah during the 2010 Veteran's Day Ceremonies. See below for highlights.
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News Channel 9 in Ohio feature on Veterans Tribute Tower in Odgen, Utah Celebration. Click Here to view the report.
Video Tribute to the Veterans Tribute Tower in Odgen, Utah Celebration. Click Here to view.
Veterans Tribute Tower leaving Cincinnati, Ohio under Patriot Guard Rider escort. Click Here to view.
Veterans Tribute Tower in Green Township, Ohio - Fox 19 News Report. Click Here to view.
Veterans Tribute Tower in North Miami, Florida - Tribute Video. Click Here to view.
Invocation - Dedication of Veteran’s Tribute Bell
Righteous God, Almighty Creator, You have given countries their inheritance, You have divided all of mankind by language and territory, and You have sovereignly established the boundaries of nations. And when we, as US citizens, have prayed and sung God Bless America, You have answered with resounding demonstration. Truly, we live in a country that has experienced divine blessing – so much more than we ever deserved!
Today, as we gather before this Veteran’s Tribute Bell, our hearts are flooded with gratitude. We give recognition to the spirit that made our country so great – a willingness of so many to give totally of themselves, even unto death. Our minds are full of memories of friends and comrades who served with valiant commitment under arms in some of our country’s greatest challenges – across the Atlantic and the Pacific in two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, the Gulf, Bosnia, Albania, and most recently in our fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.
We set aside today, 11/11/11, to remember those who not only fell in battle, but also those who offered their bodies, minds, passions, and energies to fight for a better world in the midst of all the evil that surrounds us. We ask, Oh Lord, that you would grace us with your presence in all these activities this weekend. We request that you would help us in our pain, hear us in our prayers, and have regard for us in our thoughts.
Upon every occasion when our nation has had to face the grim business of defending itself and others, a special breed of uniformed Americans has always stepped forward. It is for them that this bell is cast, lest we dare forget their sacrifice of the many things that most civilians take for granted. They embraced the vision of peace in this world and gave their all in an attempt to achieve it. We are humbly grateful for their legacy.
God of the ages, before your eyes all empires rise and fall, yet you remain changeless. Be near to us in these moments of remembrance. Uphold those who still work, and watch, and wait, and weep, and love. By your Spirit, broaden our sympathies for the peoples of your earth. Strengthen us to comfort those who mourn and to work toward peace for all peoples. Bless the leaders of this nation so that warfare, like slavery before it, may become a historic memory.
Now, Lord, we bless this bell and the tower in which it will hang. We, the citizens of Williamsburg and James City County, accept it as a sacred trust. We pray that it will be guarded, protected, and used appropriately. Let your grace rest upon all those who, upon observing it, will be prompted to reflect. And upon these grounds, let your peace always be manifest.
We pray this boldly and unashamedly in the strong name of the one and only Prince of Peace, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. - Mark Morrow, Williamsburg, VA
This Virginia Veterans Tribute Tower is being erected in Williamsburg this Veterans Day 11-11-11 to Honor the Past, Salute the Present and Inspire the Future. |
A multigenerational salute to those who have served those who presently serve and those who have made the commitment to serve our great nation. |
The creation of a national blueprint to identify, embrace and assist those who have given so much to protect our liberties and way of life. |
Why it is important to support the Virginia Veterans Tribute 11-11-11
Each year, approximately 2,626 Service Members, Veterans and Families return to civilian life in the Williamsburg Communities. It is the goal of the Veteran’s Coalition, through Virginia Veteran’s Tribute.org and other ventures, to organize and motivate our Williamsburg Community to better reintegrate our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who are fighting our Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places around the world in the war on terror. Reintegration is one of the great difficulties that our servicemen and women face as they return home.
"Communities will lose a lot if they do not help the veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” - Admiral Mike Mullen - Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Presenting Sponsor for the 2011 Virginia Veterans Tribute is Cox Communications
