The memorial is dedicated to Buffalo County residents who gave their lives and were buried at home, abroad, and at sea, and to those who endured hardship so that mankind might enjoy peace and freedom. It presents U.S. war-death totals for the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War, giving a total loss of 1,009,785 U.S. lives for freedom and 144 Buffalo County lives in all wars. It recalls the Civil War, 1861 to 1865, as the time when the question was settled and the nation remained undivided, and lists Buffalo County battle and prison deaths, deaths by other causes in service, and those missing in action. It records Buffalo County deaths in World War I, 1914 to 1918, called the war to end all wars; in World War II, 1939 to 1945, when the world was saved from tyranny; and in the Korean War, 1950 to 1953, honoring sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met. It also records Buffalo County losses in the Global War on Terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom, in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1975 as communist expansion was challenged in Southeast Asia, and in the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, when the United States stood against communism worldwide.