Rotary Club of Granite Bay

History

We are forever indebted to the brave men and women who risked their lives to ensure our liberty and freedoms. We shall always remember those who have and are currently serving in our armed forces. All our service members who returned were changed in some manner, some of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country. The Walk of Honor allows all of us to remember every one and the debt we owe them for their sacrifice.

The Granite Bay Rotary Club wants to honor military and first responders with a memorial which will last a life time within in our community. The project needs to be a permanent structure where people could place a name of a service member and come to walk or sit and reflect on the sacrifice of these individuals. We also wanted to pay our respects to the Gold Star Families so they too would have a place to come and remember their loved ones. We selected the Granite Bay Community Park as the location.

In 2018 we erected a 50’ flag pole, for the American flag, at the corner of Barton Road and Douglas Blvd, a very busy intersection, so all could see. In addition, we initially erected the five service flags. We dedicated the project on Gold Star Families Day.

In 2019, The Rotary Club of Granite Bay placed a bench in honor of Victor Dew a Granite Bay solider, killed in action on October 13, 2010 in Afghanistan.

In 2020, we erected the POW/MIA flag in honor of all still missing during our conflicts.

Each year we have a ceremony at the community park Walk of Honor on Gold Star Mothers and Families Day to honor and remember all who have died in military service. This ceremony is always the last Sunday in September.

Current Plan

The first two walls for the Walk of Honor wall are built. We will dedication the walls on September 29, 2024 with the first memorial bricks being affixed to the wall. The area has a cement walkway with four-foot-tall display walls. We will affix the engraved bricks to the display walls with the names of service members. The bricks will have the emblem of the members service, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and US Public Health Service. We have added the POW and Blue Star emblem to the available emblems for the bricks. The bricks will have a second line where a description can be engraved such as; dates of service, special recognition, conflicts, ETC.

Benches will be placed along the Walk of Honor which may be inscribed with special recognition from a donor.

Future Plans

We are beginning the final phase of the project which is a First Responder memorial to be placed adjacent to the walls of bricks. We plan to coordinate with the local law enforcement and fire agencies to design this phase.