The community is invited to a special opening ceremony on May 13 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the West Hills College Lemoore Student Union at 555 College Ave.
“We must remember these American Heroes and speak their names when we see their family members. We can never forget those who sacrificed everything for our freedom,” said Bill Williams, co-creator of the memorial. “While this memorial is about those who have died, it was created for the living…to help the families in their grief, while reminding the rest of us of the terrible price paid for our freedom by our current generation of the military.”
The photo memorial, which includes military and personal photos of each of California’s Fallen, is traveling throughout the state and will be coming to WHCL from May 13 to May 17.
“West Hills College Lemoore is honored to host this memorial wall,” said Dr. Kristin Clark, WHCL President. “We are grateful for the sacrifices our service persons make each day, and especially for the ultimate sacrifice made by these men and women and their families.”
The financial sponsor of the memorial is Bellevue University, a private, non-profit University in Bellevue, Nebraska. Founded in 1966, it has been a military-friendly school for 45 years. Bellevue University was an early adopter of distance learning and is now a leader in online education with students in every state and 55 foreign countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
This memorial and 17 other state memorials representing half of our nation's Fallen since 9/11/01 have been created by Patriotic Productions, a non-profit organization headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The goal is to complete a memorial for every state — more information at RememberingOurFallen.org or PatrioticProductions.org.
Those interested in attending the opening ceremony are asked to RSVP at https://www.westhillscollege.com/lemoore/events/#!view/event/event_id/6825