Commemorative Tiles Available For Upland Veterans' Monument

Personalized engraved tiles saluting the service of current and past military personnel are available to purchase for inclusion on the reflection wall ate Upland Veterans’ Monument, which is scheduled to be officially unveiled this year on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The reflection wall, which will include a recirculating water feature, is just part of the overall Upland Veterans’ Monument Project. Located in the Upland Civic Center between the Upland Public Library and Upland City Hall, the project centerpiece will be a 14-foot-tall pentagon black granite monument honoring all military service branches and personnel. The monument will include a historic narrative about each branch of service, as well as information about U.S. military conflicts and campaigns. Flags of each service branch and the POW/MIA, educational kiosks, and lemon and orange trees will be included in the Civic Center Plaza.

Tiles are available in 4”x12” ($200), 8”x12” ($300), 12”x12” ($500), 8”x16” ($500) and 12”x24” ($800) sizes and will be installed along both sides of the 48-foot-long reflection wall, which will salute both active and veteran service personnel. Names of military service personnel, their military branch, rank and other relevant information can be engraved on the tiles.

“Fundraising efforts for the project are going well, and now we need to fill the walls with tiles,” said Ralph Cavallo, chair of the Upland Veterans’ Monument Project Committee. “We’ve had many people who said they want to purchase a tile, but they haven’t yet done so. Now is the time if they want to have a tile on display when the monument is unveiled on Nov. 11.”

Cavallo guaranteed that tiles ordered by Aug. 15 would be installed in time for the opening ceremony.

“We’ll do our best to also ensure those that are ordered after Aug. 15 are also on display by the opening, but we encourage people to place their orders as soon as possible, just to be sure,” Cavallo said. “Tile purchases require only a single financial commitment, and the tiles will remain in place in perpetuity.”

Additional sponsorship opportunities are also available and can be found at www.uvmp.org. Recurring payment plans are negotiable.

Donations to the Upland Veteran’s Monument should be sent to the Upland Community Foundation at P.O. Box 794, Upland, Calif., 91785. Gifts are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

For more information about the monument project, which is being constructed under the oversight of the city of Upland, visit www.uvmp.org or contact Ralph Cavallo at (951) 990-4595 or Ken Hargrove at (909) 912-9318 or ken.hargrove@gmail.com.