By Phoebe Donald Robinson / Community Columnist
On Feb. 17, the National Veterans Shrine and Register of Honor were dedicated at American Village in a very carefully orchestrated ceremony full of patriotism and symbolism to honor our veterans. On Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, the first Veteran’s Day event at the Shrine will begin at noon with a special wreath-laying ceremony to honor all veterans and active military. Volunteers will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Carriage House to help you register your veteran at the Shrine in the Register of Honor, see Veteransregisterofhonor.com.
American Village was founded in 1995 by Tom Walker who desired to create an educational institution whose mission is “to strengthen and renew the foundations of America liberty and self-government by engaging and inspiring citizens, leaders and stewards.”
Its goals include teaching America’s youth about our nation’s legacy of liberty, to combat the historical amnesia that plagues our country on the constitutional foundations of our freedom. One of the main goals is to honor those who have fought for our nation and to remind all that freedom is not free.
The Shrine is the premier place where this goal is to be met. It features major sculptures, art and exhibits, many interactive, to answer the questions: “Who are our country’s veterans?” “What did they do for our country?” and “What do we owe them?”
The building is a replica of Carpenter Hall in Philadelphia, where the first Continental Congress was held. The nine interior historical paintings and Memorial Hall frieze were created by Washington D. C. artist Peter Waddell. The sculptures by Robert Shure of Woburn, Massachusetts, are simply breathtaking. In the Independence Circle of the Shrine’s front plaza is the statue, Liberty Uniting the Colonies. Soil from battle grounds around the world where Americans bled and died was sealed and enshrined beneath the Liberty monument on Dedication Day.
The signature sculpture in the Shrine is Liberty Embracing the Fallen as Liberty clutches her heart as she touches the face of a fallen Revolutionary War Soldier. The highly emotional sculpture is magnificent and worth the trip to American Village. The remarkable Shrine is open every Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.