The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, was mobilized in January 2005 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom in the division's largest combat mobilization since World War II. Known as the Iron Brigade, it included personnel from 31 states and, after deployment to Iraq and further organization with Marine and Army battalions and other combat and combat support elements, grew to more than 5,20 Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen. From July 2005 to June 2006, it conducted counterinsurgency operations in Al Anbar Province under the command and control of the 2nd Marine Division and then the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Its Fallen Warrior Memorial was originally designed and built in Ramadi, Iraq, by the Soldiers who served there using materials available at Forward Operation Base Ramadi, erected in front of brigade headquarters, and dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006, when 76 fallen warriors were honored. After being disassembled and shipped to the United States, it was rededicated on October 21, 2006, to honor 83 fallen warriors who gave their last full measure of devotion. Made of iron, the memorial symbolizes the Iron Soldiers of the Iron Brigade, Pennsylvania's iron and steel industry, and the blood shed by the fallen. Its 21-foot obelisk echoes a 21-gun salute, damaged steel represents the war, the living fight, and the fallen, and steel plates on the four sides of the pedestal bear the names of the dead. Keystones of polished steel, shattered ballistic glass, red stained wood, and marble represent reflection, conflict, blood shed, and the brigade's strength, resolve, and steady purpose. Inside the obelisk, dog tags for each fallen comrade hang from chains while a light shines upward through a cap of shattered vehicle glass, and as wind moves through the structure, the tags and a wind chime create a quiet whispering sound. Along with honoring the fallen, the memorial also serves as a reminder that the country is the beacon of liberty that shines throughout the world.