The Honoring All Veterans Memorial pays tribute to the men and women of this country who are veterans from all U.S. military branches—Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Merchant Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force—and offers a place to reflect and thank those who have served, are serving, or will serve. To recognize those who have served the country by protecting freedom and lives, the names of all honorably discharged veterans are welcome on its tablets, whether active or retired, wartime or peacetime, active duty or reserves, deceased or living, and regardless of residency. Its symbolism includes six columns representing the military branches, each with a branch seal and selected song or hymn; inward-curving columns that honor the flag and express the branches' unity in service and protection; two glass elements that let sunlight pour through for a full day's remembrance, one bearing the Purple Heart for those wounded or killed in combat and the other a Gold Star for the families of service members who gave their lives in combat; and tablets that, as the memorial grows, form the shape of a teardrop representing tears of sorrow and tears of joy for serving.