State leaders honor veterans at Missouri Capitol with new memorial obelisk
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri paid tribute to its military members on Tuesday with the dedication of a new memorial obelisk honoring veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The event included the rededication of the 1990 Gulf War memorial obelisk, which now bears the conflict's end date.
“Today is not just about stone and bronze," Kehoe said in a speech. "It's about people. It's about men and women who stood guard through long nights in faraway places, who carried the weight of a responsibility few can imagine, and who came home to build, lead and serve again in our communities.”
About a dozen veterans were in attendance for the new memorial's dedication. Among them, was Henry "Hank" Stratman.
Stratman served in the Army for 33 years and retired after 9/11 following his tours in Bosnia.
“9/11 happened and I was deployed immediately as Third Army Central Command's land component, Deputy Commanding General for Support, where we supported the Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan and their hunt for Osama bin Laden. Our mission was to kill or capture Osama bin Laden,” Stratman said.
He said Tuesday's dedication was a "culminating moment" in his life and career.
"We [veterans] don't serve for praise and glory," Stratman said. "We serve for the nation and for each other and the families we represent.”
Planning for the new obelisk and completion of the Gulf War memorial began in 2022, with collaboration between the Veterans Commission, the Office of Administration and the Missouri State Capitol Commission, a press release states. The project, approved in May 2025, cost $157,000 and was completed earlier this year.
The Missouri Veterans Memorial first broke ground in 1990 and was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1991 as a tribute to all Missouri service members, past, present and future.
The memorial features a reflecting pool inscribed with the motto "Missouri Veterans — Guardians of Liberty," a scaled reproduction of the Capitol dome columns, and the "Veterans Walk," which originally included eight obelisks representing major U.S. conflicts since Missouri became a state in 1821.
The addition of the Iraq and Afghanistan obelisk and the updated Gulf War marker ensures the memorial continues to honor those who served in more recent conflicts.
"It shows that we're equal footing with all of the rest of the veterans, and rightfully so," Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff said. "Missouri's veterans have sacrificed year over year whether it's a World War One, World War two. And now we're giving that same credit to our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that we give to World War One, World War Two, Korea, Vietnam."
In coming years, the commission said it plans to have the number of Missourians who gave the ultimate sacrifice listed on each war's obelisk.
The nine obelisks are along the "Veterans Walk" at the Missouri Veterans Memorial, located on the north side of the State Capitol.
