BLACK HILLS VETERANS MEMORIAL
For years, a granite pentagon has been the focal point for visitors of this memorial. The pentagon rests on top a large stone donated by Ruth Ziolkowski, a co-founder of Crazy Horse Memorial. A bronze statue of an eagle with wings outstretched graces the uppermost part of the monument. The bronze plaques alongside the monument lists conflicts the US has been involved in, including the wars of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm War/1st War in Iraq. Just inside the park entrance is a bronze statue of two women and a child.
This memorial is located in downtown Rapid City Memorial Park. Rapid Creek trickles through the family friendly park and hosts a playground, open grassy areas, walking paths and lake. The Black Hills Veterans Memorial will be adding new monuments in 2022. A new war monument will be installed to honor area men and women Veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cold War and War on Terror Conflicts. There will be a separate granite monument added to honor those that were Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA).
Edward Manzano, a Captain at Rapid City’s Ellsworth Air Force Base, helped establish the original memorial in 1991. Now he is a driving force behind creating a Black Hills War Monument to honor fallen heroes from more than 10 counties. Carved into one of the granite walls will be the short phrase “Never Forget” – the common slogan used for remembrance of national tragedies. Also engraved in the granite will be names, ranks and branches of more than 634 area Veterans killed in wars while serving during the past 100 years. The dedication of these upcoming monuments is scheduled for Veteran’s Day 2022.