On July 14th, 2004, the members of the Oak Grove Family and Community Education Clud voted to begin a fund raising project to erect a Veterans’ Memorial to honor all Rocky Top Area Veterans who served in all wars and to dedicate it to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
After hundreds of hours doing research, fund raising and traveling over a thousand miles, we placed the order for the monument on August 18th, 2005. The monument was set November 4th, and the dedication was held November 11th, 2005.
The monument is made of blue granite (all Polished), bearing the inscribed names of fort-six (46) heroes from the Rocky Top Area, who died in military services during World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq , and Afghanistan. The monument has a center section 4′ long and 5′ high, with a large engraved eagle at the top. The two side sections are each 2′ long and 3′ high, and the base is 10′ long and 1′ 10″ wide with an 8″ x 8″ x 10″ vase on each side. There are also four matching benches at the site. These are all on a 16′ x 16′ concrete pad with curved walks from Main Street leading to the monument.
The funding for the memorial came from contributions from several churches, businesses, organizations, and individuals.