On September 11, 2001, police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians came together as one collective body to defend the United States during the assault on the homeland. The memorial honors first responders who perished while performing acts of heroism and bravery, as well as men and women who took an oath to serve and protect their local communities. It is dedicated to the families and memories of military, police, fire, and EMT lives lost, both foreign and domestic, and pays tribute to the men and women who served in the United States military, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terrorism. Its centerpiece is a life-size replica of the Soldiers Cross, a makeshift replacement grave marker symbolic of a life lost. Beyond the cross stands a sculptural representation of the World Trade Center twin towers in New York, obliterated after the attacks on September 11, 2001, and the view continues to an open field representing the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, site where the final hijacked aircraft crashed.