
Veterans Memorial Monument

Veterans Memorial Monument (1996) expresses the
gratitude of the community to all veterans who had served
honorably in U. S. military forces and demonstrates the
continuing commitment of UW-La Crosse in commending to its
students, faculty, staff and visitors an abiding appreciation for
the sacrifices of veterans.
The design is celebrative in nature and contains the following
symbolism which reflects both the monument's status as a
veterans' memorial and the stadium's function as a UW-La Crosse
athletic facility:
- The 5 decorative steel arches and masonry columns
represent the 5 military services whose crests are
displayed on each column.
- Each spoke in the steel arches represents an individual
state in the union of states with the center spoke
representing the District of Columbia; thereby, each arch
contains 51 spokes from column to column.
- The arches join to form a dome which is representative of
both our national and state capitol domes. The arches are
connected at the apex by a pentagonal joint much the same
way that the military forces are united in the defense of
the country through the Department of Defense,
headquartered in the Pentagon Building.
- The eagle atop the canopy is a national symbol, appearing
on the Great Seal of the United States, and it also
serves as a local symbol of UW-La Crosse athletic teams.
- The eternal flame signifies the community's enduring
gratitude for the sacrifices of its veterans.
- The columns are constructed of alternating brick and
Winona limestone layers, replicating the facing design
adorning the university's Graff Main Hall, the oldest
building on campus.
- The brick, limestone and black metal motif extend an
architectural feature common throughout the UW-La Crosse
campus.
- The pedestal supporting the eternal flame sculpture
replicates the pentagonal structure with the external
faces displaying the mottos of the respective military
services whose crests appear on the corresponding,
opposite facing column.
Photograph by L. L. Lebiecki
Campus Map |
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Please send comments or suggestions for this page to:
Vickie Baer
Last modified:
08/20/02
Copyright © 2001 by the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and the Board of
Regents of the University of Wisconsin System