Arizona Veterans Memorial Park

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A Place of Quiet Honor

There’s a hush that falls over you when you find it.

No towering signs demand your attention. No commercial noise clamors for your stop. Instead, it’s a soft recommendation from a local-someone who’s quietly proud of what’s tucked away here in Bullhead City, Arizona. Past a stretch of neat homes lining the Colorado River, where the water sparkles under the desert sun, you’ll come to a park-unassuming at first glance.

The north and south entrances to this park don’t connect. The marina inlet between them makes sure of that. The south welcomes families with a VFW Post, just above the Rotary Park, with playing fields, skateboard ramps, picnic areas, and boat launches.

Along the River: Reflections and Remembrance

Park in the lot in front of the VFW and walk around back to the left and along the sidewalk past the monument, flag, and further past the new French-style coffee stop. Loop back toward the river, and a curved memorial wall comes into view.

Nine feet tall, forty feet wide, and lined with bronze plaques, it bears the names of more than 3,000 Arizona servicemen and women who lost their lives in over a century of conflict. Two giant bronze eagles flank the wall, wings outstretched, standing watch. Fifty stars encircle them, a testament to the unity of the states and the collective price of freedom. It’s virtually unknown … a perfect place for a peace-filled reflective walk.

But if you follow the locals’ advice and take the northern route, you’ll find something altogether different.

Park your car, step past the traffic barrier onto the pedestrian path, and as the Colorado River breeze carries a crisp, mineral scent toward you, your feet crunch over gravel, then shift to pavement. You might spot families down by the water, but ahead, something else calls you forward. At first, from the parking lot, it seems as though there’s not much to see-no towering monuments visible, but quiet, reserved statues with an eternal flame. Take the path, and they reveal themselves.

One by one.

First Encounter: The Black Stone Memorial

The first monument that commands your attention stands in reflective black stone on the Colorado River side, reminiscent of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. This piece, however, honors the five branches of the United States Armed Forces - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Its glossy surface catches the sunlight, almost drawing you in to see yourself reflected alongside the emblems that represent these protectors.

It stands as an opening note in a chorus of memorials.

Each monument further along the path tells its own story-etched in stone, metal, and history but none carry that same black sheen. They’re visible from the path, yes, but their true meaning? That remains hidden until you get close enough to read the inscriptions, especially the poignant K9 memorial honoring the service dogs who gave their lives alongside their human counterparts.

The Rotunda: Arizona Medal of Honor Memorial

As you walk deeper into the park, the scene softens. The touch of your footsteps changes from pavement to the soft give of green grass, a surprise here in the desert. But the low-set sprinklers circling the white-columned rotunda are working quietly, cooling the air around the Arizona Medal of Honor Memorial. Their gentle mist doesn’t arc overhead; instead, it sweeps across the ground, cooling your ankles, leaving the scent of fresh water in the dry desert air, creating a near universal rainbow.

The narrow rotunda invites you in, offering a circular sanctuary where an eternal flame burns at its center. The Medal of Honor—the highest military award in the United States—is celebrated here. Arizona’s deep military history is etched into the plaques surrounding the flame, including the story of Assistant Surgeon Bernard J.D. Irwin, whose valor at Apache Pass in 1861 marked the first Medal of Honor action in U.S. history. Native American soldiers are also honored here, their bravery in the Indian campaigns forever remembered.

One name echoes with special resonance: Silvestre Herrera, the only man ever awarded both the U.S. Medal of Honor and Mexico’s highest military award.

The Journey of the Howitzer: A Tank’s Tale

Past the rotunda, the path leads you to a striking figure—the M109A5 Howitzer, a 155-millimeter self-propelled artillery piece, now demilitarized and standing as a symbol of strength redirected.

This Howitzer didn’t just roll in quietly. Transporting it from Phoenix to Bullhead City required a monumental effort. Many towns never receive such military artifacts because they can’t shoulder the heavy transport costs. But Bullhead City had a local hero—A&G Towing—who donated their services, absorbing the $25,000 cost and even parading the Howitzer through town during the Veterans Day Parade on November 5, 2022.

Demilitarized and restored by the Arizona Army National Guard, the Howitzer was stripped of layers of paint, hydroblasted, repainted in Army desert tan, and carefully prepared for its final display. The engine and gun doors welded shut, its presence now silent but powerful.

Months of preparation went into this. Monuments were moved, earth shifted, concrete poured—all to ensure that the Howitzer would have its place among the stories etched in stone here.
Nearby, a pyramid-shaped stone stands solemnly as a tribute to the U.S.S. Arizona, lost at Pearl Harbor. Its silent shape speaks volumes, grounding the park’s history firmly in the pivotal moments that shaped our nation.

A Park That Speaks to the Senses

This park isn’t loud. It doesn’t shout for your attention. But as you walk, you feel the stories beneath your feet-the shift from gravel to grass, the cool mist brushing against sun-warmed skin, the flutter of flags overhead, and the steady lap of the Colorado River beside you.

You can see every monument from the path, but their stories don’t reveal themselves until you step close, read the words, feel the weight of history pressing gently but firmly against the Arizona breeze.

This isn’t just a place to visit. It’s a place to remember, to reflect, and to honor. And though it might not call to you with flashy signs or crowded tour buses, once you’ve walked these paths, it lingers with you.

Bullhead City's Arizona Veterans Memorial Park doesn’t need to announce itself. It waits - for those willing to step quietly into its story.

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