Designed to honor the memory of Fairbanks veterans in a more prominent way, The Veterans Memorial Site features numerous sculptures, markers and places to reflect, allowing visitors to experience the site in multiple ways. This combination has provided the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, with a landmark that attracts the attention of audiences from all over but has also been able to connect with the veteran community in a tangible manner.
Increasing the Accessibility and Visibility of Alaska Veterans
What had been known as Bicentennial Park became the Veterans’ Memorial Site in 1990. This change occurred when a small concrete pedestal that was erected in the memory of the Fairbanks Area Veterans was moved from Weeks Field to increase its accessibility and visibility to the public. Now sitting in the middle of the Veterans Memorial Site, this landmark enabled the creation of the various monuments that now define the site.
The Veterans Memorial itself was created by the Department of the Interior for all of the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. These veterans have the enduring respect and recognition of the Fairbanks community and all of the Interior of Alaska. Dedicated to the quest for peace, this memorial has come to visually define the site while cultivating the addition of other pieces.
A figurative sculpture is dedicated to the Alaska Territorial Guard for their efforts from 1942-1947. Under the leadership of Major “Muktuk” Marston during World War II, paid and volunteer staff of Native Ethnic Groups and European Americans watched the northern shores of Alaska for enemy movement. They were instrumental in the Battle for Attu, which was fought off the coast of what was then the Territory of Alaska.
Another marker is dedicated to the recipients of the Purple Heart. Benches that lead up to the center of the monument have the different branches of the military beneath each of them. The Bicentennial Gazebo hosts various events throughout the year with rental fees that provide the city with a direct source of revenue.
Contributions and volunteer efforts by individual veterans and concerned citizens have transformed the site from an open space with a simple marker into something that celebrates the efforts of veterans from the Fairbanks area in a far more encompassing manner. Providing audiences with a place to connect with this history or take part in an event or relax on a bench, it highlights how such efforts can enable positive change in the present and create new opportunities for the future.
The Legacy of Fairbank’s Area Veterans
Alaska ranks number one in the United States in the number of veterans per capita. The Veterans Memorial Site honors the military’s role in helping build and define the State of Alaska to allow this history and legacy to be recognized and appreciated by all.
