For Butch Hansen, retired U.S. Navy captain, caring for Pensacola’s Veterans Memorial Park is a mission of honor and remembrance.
Located near the city’s downtown with beautiful waterfront views, the park commemorates veterans and the U.S. military with monuments recognizing a long history of those who served, from the Revolutionary War to the world wars to Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terrorism.
“We believe the Veterans Memorial Park plays a vital role in keeping our country’s history alive for citizens and visitors of all ages,” Hansen said. “Educating the community, especially our children, about the park, its mission, and holding the sacrifice of those memorialized there as worthy of their gratitude, respect and emulation.”
Each year, an estimated 100,000 visitors travel to the Pensacola park to trace their own family histories and the history of the country through the awe-inspiring landscape of monuments. Hansen knows firsthand how meaningful that journey can be.
“Coming from the Vietnam era, the Wall South has special meaning,” said Hansen, who retired from the military 30 years ago. “Being a career submarine captain makes the Submarine Memorial have special meaning, but my family history makes the World War I memorial have the most meaning.”
“My grandfather fought in World War I, for Germany, on the Western Front for four years, and because he was captured by, and treated well by, Americans at the end of the War (his brother was not as lucky), he emigrated to America as soon as he could and became a proud American.”
When Hansen moved to Pensacola 13 years ago, he was immediately taken with the park. He soon helped establish the 13-member volunteer board to maintain the park and its tributes to the fallen and their families.
At its heart is The Wall South, a half-scale replica of Maya Lin's black granite monument erected on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., in 1982. Erected in 1992, thanks to the determination, dedication and fund-raising efforts of local Vietnam veterans, the monument has become a destination for veterans and family members who come to find the names of their loved ones or compatriots etched into the black granite.
"Annual pilgrimages at Memorial Day and other military remembrance dates bring hundreds from far away to the Wall South to remember and reflect and sometimes heal old wounds," Hansen said. "It often takes years for some to decide to make the emotional journey, and we are proud to be able to provide that vehicle."
Among the other monuments are a 9/11 Memorial, a monument to Gold Star families, tributes to local service members lost in the war on terror, a memorial dedicated to those who served in the Korean War, a replica of the famous Minuteman Memorial in Concord, New Hampshire, a monument to those who have received the Purple Heart, the state’s only World War II monument, amongst others.
The Veterans Memorial Park Foundation hosts two formal ceremonies annually: Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Other local organizations also hold celebrations, including the Marine Corps League, The Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution, rotary clubs, corporate groups, veterans’ reunion groups and active-duty military groups from NAS Pensacola.
Having the monuments gathered at a single site allows visitors to see the full scope of the history and the generations of sacrifice required to defend the freedoms at the core of the country’s founding, Hansen said.
But the park is also where individuals can find peace, reflect, and honor friends and family any day of the year, said Hansen. He added that the importance of having places like the Veterans Memorial Park for veterans to find honor, recognition, and community cannot be overstated, he added.
“Veterans Memorial Park provides a place for healing, education, health and well-being. It provides a place for families, groups and individuals to learn, remember and reflect on the totality of what it sometimes takes to preserve our way of life.” said Hansen.
The park also serves as a source of tourism and economic development, resulting in significant financial impact. As the nation’s first settlement and the cradle of naval aviation, Pensacola has a long and rich military history, and the park visitors often make time to visit the area's other military sites of interest, such as Barrancas National Cemetery, the National Naval Aviation Museum and the Gulf Coast's many historic forts.
The park is easily accessible from both downtown and the beach, making it a popular site for military reunions, Hansen said. “Many of them have a memorial service for their lost members at the Park.”
Volunteers offer guided tours for individuals, school groups and other organizations, providing information on each memorial, the history that it represents, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Each stone and statue tell a story, inspiring gratitude for the lives and sacrifices that built our country.
“It’s a story about warfare and those charged with executing it that needs to be told and retold,” Hansen said. “That keeps me engaged – because our future depends on it.”
To Volunteer: veteransmemorialparkpensacola.org/volunteer
To Make a donation: veteransmemorialparkpensacola.org/donations
VA Suicide Crisis Line: If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with the VA’s caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. This service is private, free and available 24/7. Call 988 and select 1, or text 838255.