The Mason City area dedicated this monument on November 11, 2004, in gratitude to veterans who served in peacetime and conflict in the Armed Forces of the United States, to the families of those who made the supreme sacrifice, to veterans who still suffer the wounds and ravages of war, and to those missing and not yet home, affirming that their sacrifices helped preserve freedom in the United States of America. It also presents the flag of the United States as a symbol born on June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes in Philadelphia, tracing its thirteen red and white stripes and constellation of stars to the nation’s founding and its fifty stars to the fifty states, while associating its colors with courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, devotion, liberty, equality, loyalty, and faith. The text links the flag to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Abraham Lincoln’s words on government by the people, and the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home, and it urges Americans to guard their freedom and remain faithful to the principles of one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Additional inscriptions honor all American veterans across generations for protecting the country’s freedom, call for remembrance of those who died defending the nation, and stress duty, honor, country, patriotism, sacrifice, and national responsibility. They refer to Memorial Day as a time to create remembrance and honor veterans, explain that Veterans Day grew from Armistice Day marking November 11, 1918, and note that after World War Two President Eisenhower in 1954 proclaimed November 11 Veterans Day honoring all veterans. The inscriptions also affirm that veterans in war and peace protected freedoms, warn that a nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten, praise the spirit of those who serve, and conclude with a prayer for peace, protection for service men and women, safe return for them, wisdom for world leaders, justice and equality for all peoples, compassion for those in war-torn places, and peace throughout the world.