The Missouri City community gathered at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 for a ceremony honoring veterans and active-duty service members and to dedicate the city’s recently constructed Veterans Memorial.

The memorial, a project 10 years in the making, is located at 1522 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, behind the City Hall complex. It features a fountain in the middle of a five-point star. At the points of the star are flagpoles, and between the points are arches dedicated to each branch of the military, including the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Council Member Anthony Maroulis said the memorial’s water fountain with amber lighting represents an eternal flame, and the granite block symbolizes life, strength, freedom and liberty. Missouri City broke ground on the memorial on Veterans Day in 2019.

Mayor Robin Elackatt said the completed $1.5 million memorial is the result of collaboration between elected officials, community partners and local veterans organizations.

“Today marks a great day because after 10 years of planning, designing, fundraising and partnering, we have reached the finish line of building and unveiling this spectacular Veterans Memorial,” Elackatt said. “I am proud to say that the memorial is a testament to the bravery and courage of every American who has served this country.”

The Missouri City Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed in 2016 with the goal of enhancing city parks and green spaces, supported fundraising efforts for the project, said Anthony Snipes, the organization’s vice president and former city manager. Among those who contributed funds to the memorial are The George Foundation, Wells Fargo, H-E-B and Niagara Bottling.

“The [Missouri City Parks Foundation] board determined that there would be no greater capstone project than providing funds for a park that not only established a unique outdoor experience for our residents, but provided a tribute to those individuals who sought to protect the very ideas on which the United States of America was founded,” Snipes said.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, presented a flag flown over the Texas Capitol to city officials to recognize the completion of the memorial. During his remarks, he advocated for better veteran care, including mental health care and housing services.

“The Show Me City is a destination,” Reynolds said. “It will be a city that honors our veterans.”