5 memorials that honor veterans in the region

The Miami Valley is full of veterans from all branches of the military, and many cities in the area have built veterans memorials in their own communities to honor those who have served. This is a selection of five memorials in our area:

Fairborn Veterans Memorial

Located at the intersection of Central and Main Streets in downtown Fairborn, the Fairborn Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1987. The memorial is a star pattern of pylons representing the five military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

At the end of each pylon, there is a slot for service flags. At the center of the memorial, a pole sits for the American flag. Due to the location of the memorial in the middle of a busy intersection, the Fairborn Military Veterans Memorial Project was formed in 2016 to seek a more accessible memorial monument for Fairborn Military Veterans.

Beavercreek Veterans Memorial

Dedicated in 2001, the Beavercreek Veterans Memorial located on North Fairfield Road features a 22-foot-tall, five-sided obelisk weighing about 25,000 pounds for the five military branches. Topping out the monument is a brass globe and eagle.

More than 1,000 engraved bricks honoring veterans from all over the country, living and deceased, have been placed in a star formation surrounding the monument. Hundreds more bricks are embedded in the memorial walkway from the parking area.

Moraine Veterans Memorial

The Moraine All Veterans Memorial was also dedicated in 2001. The memorial monument features five obelisk pillars from each of the military branches that support a title stone and gold eagle inscribed with “Lest We Forget”.

A memorial brick walkway flanked by flowers and modern military soldier statuettes leads to the monument, which is located in front of the Moraine Municipal Building at 4200 Dryden Road.

» WATCH: Dayton’s somber and beautiful National Cemetery from the air

Kettering Veterans Memorial

The Kettering Veterans Memorial and Charles F. Kettering History Walk was dedicated on Veterans Day in 2016. Its large circular design is highlighted by five black obelisks for each of the military branches that act as the center focus.

On the south side of the memorial are seven flag poles that fly the colors of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard plus two U.S. flags, one with the P.O.W./M.I.A emblem and the other for the City of Kettering. A history walk for the city’s namesake, Charles F. Kettering, is on the north side of the memorial.

» RELATED: Local veterans honor their brothers in arms through memorial park

Civil War Soldiers Monument

The Civil War Veterans Monument stands on an island on North Main Street in downtown Dayton near its original location from 1884. “The Memorial of Montgomery County to her Soldiers,” the south side of the monument reads.

High atop the 73-foot high granite column stand a bronze sculpture of Pvt. George Washington Fair, who has stood watch over the city for 133 years. Pvt. Fair was a carpenter and bricklayer born in Dayton who fought with the Union Army from 1861-1865.

» RELATED: How Dayton’s giant Main Street Monument faced twists and turns to land there

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