Morgan County honors veterans who gave their lives while serving in the armed forces of the United States of America during active wartime. Five black granite monuments on the inner circle represent the five military branches and bear the names, rank, and wartime served for each person who made the ultimate sacrifice. Three black granite monuments on the outer ring recognize POW/MIA, Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Mothers, and Purple Heart recipients. At the center, a bronze kneeling soldier represents a combat soldier who has just left the battlefield and is paying honor to a fellow comrade at the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross before him. The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross, made from a soldier’s rifle with bayonet attached, stuck into the ground with a helmet on top, serves as a symbolic replacement for a cross on the battlefield or at base camp for a soldier who has been killed and shows honor and respect for the fallen at the battle site. The practice began during the American Civil War or perhaps earlier as a way to identify bodies on the battlefield before removal. Today it is used less for identification and more as a private ceremony among surviving troops to mourn and show immediate respect for the fallen when attending the funeral is not always possible, and it may be seen in the field or base camp after battle in Afghanistan or Iraq. The memorial covers service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.