As numerous cities across America fought to remove Confederate monuments, Pulaski, Tennessee chose instead to refocus attention on “Building up” by telling “the other side of the story...the story of the overlooked and unrecognized.” Alderman Ricky Keith introduced the idea at the September 28, 2020, regular session meeting of the Pulaski Board of Mayor and Alderman. Potential honorees were presented, and soldiers of the United States Colored Troops ranked among the top. Cave Spring Park on North First Street in Pulaski became Cave Spring Heritage Plaza. The Community Advisory Committee on Inclusive Recognition and Acknowledgment, formed by former Mayor Pat Ford in February 2021 as part of a “Build UP” initiative, worked to create a memorial honoring the United States Colored Troops. Committee members included Janice Tucker and Tammy Pierchoski as co-chairs, along with Delores Young, Joe Davis, John Birdsong, Kelly Hamlin, Ramona Myles, John Coleman, Vivian Sims, Cochran Pruett, Cathy Wood, Lois Aymett, Marcus Nelson, and Dr. Shonda Reynold Christian. Vivian Sims wrote that many Black Giles Countians were direct descendants of U.S.C.T. veterans who settled there after the war, and that no better way or location existed to honor these “warriors of freedom” than at the foot of Fort Hill, where they camped and served. Pamela Keller received the commission for a life-size U.S.C.T. monument, with researched attention to details including uniform buttons, buckle and sash badge, the Springfield 1861 rifle, and the particular slouch of the kepie hat. Keller said the model for the soldier’s face was recommended by Vivian Sims and that the monument would honor and elevate the legacy of the United States Colored Troops. The monument was dedicated on June 17, 2023, by the City of Pulaski, its mayor, vice-mayor, aldermen, and the wider community.