The Orange County Veterans Committee held an event last Friday to commemorate the completion of the first phase of the planned veteran’s memorial at the Southern Human Services Center.

The event also corresponded with Veterans Day.

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Larry Hall spoke at the  event about the responsibility that veterans have to make their voices heard.

“We are a part of the community, not apart from the community,” said Hall. “We should never let our communities forget that, and we should never sit down on the job, as we were responsible for building this state and country, and will be responsible for maintaining it and moving it forward.”

Retired US Army Colonel and member of the Orange County Veterans Memorial Committee Fred Black believes that the memorial will help in identifying these veterans in the community.

“We want to know who the veterans are because part of our purpose is to connect people to the services that they are eligible to receive,” said Black. “We think a memorial helps to reinforce that idea because it will bring people who served.”

The memorial will eventually feature a kiosk where visitors can identify themselves as veterans, which will make it easier for them to receive those services.

For more information on the memorial or to make a donation, visit orangecountyveteransmemorial.com.