HOWARD COUNTY — WMAR-2 News is your Voice for Veterans.
On Wednesday, people got their first look at a new monument to their service, five years in the making.
The Howard County Veterans Foundation unveiled their design for veterans and military families monument planned for downtown Columbia.
Janice Chance is a gold star mother of Marine Captain Jesse Melton III, who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2008, and Army Captain Janine Melton, a Charles County Commissioner.
She remarked on how the monument represents gold star families, as well as veterans.
"To remind people that there is a family attached to every service member to never forget. So it will be here in the heart of Columbia. And it's my prayer that as a walk through that people will stop, and pause, and reflect, and thank our veterans and their families and never, ever forget," Chance said.
Howard County is home to more than 20,000 veterans.