Governor Brian Sandoval, Attorney General Adam Laxalt, and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske all voted to approve a new veterans memorial to be built on capitol grounds.
The Battleborn Memorial to Nevada's Fallen Warriors will include a granite pool and a metal structure with the names of 894 Nevadans who died in the line of duty since World War I cut out of the ceiling. The point of the structure is to list all of the names in a place where sunlight (or lamps at nights) create a projection of the names on the ground, or even on someone walking through the memorial.
Director of Veteran Affairs for the State of Nevada Kat Miller says the veterans in Nevada have been waiting for a fallen soldiers memorial on capitol grounds for along time.
"We finally have a place where we can recognize every one of them," Miller said. "From Elko to Vegas, Reno, Carson City, Tonopah, they'll all be together for us to remember and honor."
The state legislature passed a bill in 2013 for the construction of the memorial, but Miller says the wait was worth it, considering how involved veterans were with the process.
"They first came together and selected the criteria," Miller said. "They interviewed different artists and finally picked a monument, that was fitting tribute to our fallen."
The memorial will cost an estimated $450,000. Three hundred thousand dollars came from the Attorney General's Office, all from settlements, which means no taxpayer money. The other $150,000 came from the Nevada Department of Veteran Affairs.
Governor Sandoval says he believes people will be coming from all over the world to this memorial. Sandoval says there's a book in the capitol building that lists all 894 Nevadans that will be put on the memorial, and he's happy to share their sacrifice.
"This memorial will compliment that book of heroes, and give even more people the opportunity to celebrate them, honor them, and show their respect." Sandoval said.
