What is the Colorado Freedom Memorial? It honors Colorado veterans of all wars, by name, in one place. Regardless of one’s rank; one’s branch of service; or one’s generation of conflict, giving your life for your country is the highest price to be paid.
The Colorado Freedom Memorial is constructed of glass that will reflect Colorado’s mountains and blue skies. It is approximately 12-feet tall and 95-feet wide. Each of the names of the nearly 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action will be etched in the glass panels dedicated to the specific war in which they fought. In the case of the MIA’s, their names will be etched in a special panel of glass.
According to the designer, Kristoffer Kenton:
“The memorial is meant to be a symbolic gesture of the fallen men and women, one in which the visitor can truly experience the magnitude of people effected by the loss of our own. As one reflects on the loss of their loved one, their own image is reflected in the glass panels, and as the visitors accumulate the true number of people affected by these losses are now represented within the memorial.
“The folding of the glass panels serves two purposes; the first is to be representative of the tectonic folding of the mountains and the beautiful landscape that we have in Colorado, while the second is to create a sense of instability as the visitor approaches the memorial, just as it is when the world is at war. The memorial is meant to be a place of reflection and remembrance, and will be a calm, subdued experience, one in which the visitor can sit quietly and reflect upon their lost loved ones.”
Public dedication is scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at 2pm.
Colorado Freedom Memorial is located in Aurora near Buckley Air Force base in Springhill Community Park, 756 N. Telluride St., Aurora, Colo., 80111.
