MORRISTOWN, NJ – October 6, 2026 —
Community members, military veterans, first responders, and local leaders gathered Sunday, October 4, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown to celebrate the continuing development of The Healing Garden.
Organized in partnership with Veterans Valor and the Morristown Rotary Club, the gathering marked completion of The Gateway garden and invited guests to experience the larger therapeutic vision taking shape across the site.
A Sanctuary Born of Purpose
The Healing Garden is an outdoor sanctuary designed to support the physical, psychological, and emotional restoration of military veterans, active-duty service members, first responders, and their families. Grounded in the restorative power of nature, art, and community connection, the garden offers a place where people affected by trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression can find solace, quiet reflection, and renewed purpose.
It is also a place of education, where civilians can learn about and reflect on the realities of military service.
Beyond The Gateway — directly on its central axis — stands Sandalphon, a massive granite sculpture. Its plaque will read:
Sandalphon plaque design
Adjacent to Sandalphon will be the New Life Garden. Signifying renewed hope, growth, and community connection, New Life will be a stone terrace at the edge of the slope, from which visitors may gaze down upon the Long Meadow below, lush in spring and summer with wildflowers.
From there, the site can accommodate three future gardens — if the community chooses to support them — called Point of Wound, Medevac, and The Fallen. Together, they are intended not merely to tell the story, but to help visitors feel the story, of veterans wounded in combat and of those who succumbed either in combat or to the conflicts carried home.
Sunday's Celebration Highlights
The program also featured beautiful remarks by New Jersey State Senator Anthony M. Bucco and keynote speaker Tom Welsh, a Marine and Trustee Emeritus of Morristown Medical Center. Also speaking was Scott Parsons, founding executive director of Fairleigh Dickinson University's Institute for Character and Leadership.
The Gateway & Emblem Wall: Guests gathered before stone masonry walls displaying the official seals of the six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces — a visible expression of gratitude, service, and unity.
Artistic Inspiration: Guests visited Sandalphon, where Major Aaron Oliver, an active-duty chaplain in the New Jersey National Guard, offered a moving invocation in the shadow of the sculpture.
Memorial & Reflection: Attendees paused at stone pedestals bearing bronze plaques dedicated to quiet reflection and remembrance.
"Healing is not a moment, but a long road where movement forward is hard-won. By uniting nature, sculpture, and community, The Healing Garden is being created so that no veteran or first responder has to walk that road alone."
How to Get Involved
Veterans Valor invites community members, corporate sponsors, institutions, and volunteers to help determine what comes next — through financial support, hands-on volunteering, partnerships, and community advocacy.
To learn more about the project, view the possibilities for The Fallen and other future gardens, or make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.veteransvalornj.com or contact morristownrotarynj@gmail.com.
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