The State of Minnesota is honoring veterans in a different way. The new Minnesota Military Family Tribute on St. Paul’s State Capitol Mall, pays tribute not only to the sacrifice of the individual soldier, but to the soldier’s entire family. The new memorial joins other conflict memorials along the Capitol Mall, including the World War II Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

The Landscape Architect and Specifier News article “Building a Tribute,” by Theodore Lee ASLA of HGA Architects, recently spoke about the meaning and design of the memorial.

Lee states “Located along the southern half of the Capitol Mall, the Minnesota Military Family Tribute anchors the military memorials to pay tribute to Minnesota’s military families. Rather than tied to a single war or event, the Family Tribute honors the spouses, significant others, children, parents, grandparents, siblings and others who provided home-front support to military personnel, from the Civil War to the unfolding Middle East conflict.

As such, the Family Tribute holds deep meaning for all Minnesota’s military and nonmilitary families—and hopefully inspires other states to build similar tributes.”

The main feature of the memorial is a garden of Story Stones, placed on Stabilized Crushed Stone. “The Story Stones comprise 87 large stones representing the geological heritage of each of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Arranged along the promenade’s eastern end in a field of crushed stone, the Story Stones are a visual connection between loved ones that are deployed and their families at home.”

Image Credit: Theodore Lee