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"To be killed in a war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst. To be forgotten is the worst."
Pierre Claeyssens (1909–2003)
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The Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial was dedicated on November 14, 2010.
The Memorial is officially open to the public 24 hours a day, year-round.
The Memorial is located at 4531 Bryan Avenue in Irvine, CA, about 1 hour south of Los Angeles and 20 minutes south of Anaheim.
- Interstate 5 - Culver Drive (Exit 99)
- Drive NE on Culver Drive approx. 1/2 mile (toward the mountains)
- Turn Right onto Bryan Avenue
- Northwood Community Park will be on your left in approx. 1 mile (intersection of Bryan Ave. and Yale Ave.)
Public ceremonies are held on Memorial Day, and Veterans Day each year.
The list of engraved names is available by clicking here and entering the last name of the person you wish to find. While the Park Center is being rebuilt, if you would like to do a name rubbing, please send an email to info@NorthwoodMemorial.com and let us know the date when you plan on visiting and your cell phone number. A volunteer will gladly bring paper and charcoal pencils to you at to do the rubbings.
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Local hotels, merchants, restaurants and entertainment locations are offering discounts to active military, veterans, Blue Star and Gold Star families. Visitors to the Memorial should go to www.destinationirvine.com/visitors/special-offers/military-discounts/ for details. Thank you to the participants in this program for their support.
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| Visit us on Facebook - Join the Conversation
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Interested in day to day activities and volunteer opportunities? Want to voice your opinion or offer a suggestion related to the Memorial? Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
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| A Call for Pictures and Videos
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If you have pictures or video of the Memorial that you are willing to share on-line, please let us know by sending an email to info@NorthwoodMemorial.com or click on Contact Us at the bottom of this page.
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With the dedication of the new permanent memorial behind us, we need your help raising the funds needed to fulfill our commitment for its construction and future maintenance.
We need your talent and time. Think you have no talent? We still could use your time and energy to help out. Check the Volunteer section on this site. Or send us a message at info@NorthwoodMemorial.com and let us know how you'd like to help.
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2012 Events
- Memorial Day - Remembrance ceremony, unveiling of additional names
- Veterans Day - Sunday November 14th - Remembrance ceremony, unveiling of additional names
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| Excerpt from 2011 State of the City Speech
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From Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang's "State of the City" speech delivered on February 7, 2011:
"It is important to always remember … as we do with our decades-long support of our military personnel and heritage … that we live in a larger world. Last November, we dedicated the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, recognizing every fallen service member who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan. What began as a grassroots, community-led memorial in 2003 is now a permanent fixture at Northwood Community Park. On a somber, memorable day, the dedication before 700 people reminded us of the initial 5,714 names as a living memorial. It is a reminder that the price of freedom is very high, and ongoing. Our memorial will not be complete until all service men and women are returned home safely."
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| Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial Photographs
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Please visit our photo galleries at www.FallenHeroes.SmugMug.com to see photographs from past events.
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| Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial
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The nation's first memorial listing the names of all the fallen American service members in Afghanistan and Iraq was formally dedicated and opened to the public on November 14, 2010. (Photos below and on the "Dedication Day Photos" page; a brief summary video of the public ceremony can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch.) The panels currently hold the names of 6,139 casualties from October, 2001 through July, 2011. The panels will be updated regularly as long as American service members are dying in those conflicts.
Since 2003, a simple memorial for the country’s military fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq was set up in the Southern California city of Irvine by members of the community on the week before Memorial Day and then removed the week after Independence Day. For years the community and visitors from all over the country have come to share in the fellowship at the site of the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial.
This expression of gratitude and honor, born from simple materials and community initiative, was approved on Dec. 8th, 2009 by the Irvine City Council to become a permanent monument to the heroes that gave their all to the United States of America.
The names of every service member who has died in Afghanistan and Iraq had been displayed on the wooden posts of the temporary memorial. Now their names are engraved in granite in a permanent memorial, to assure that future generations of Americans will remember and honor them with gratitude as we do today.
Please join us in remembering these heroes. Your donation of will help defray the cost of a hero's name being engraved in a granite panel of the new memorial, maintenance of the Memorial, and services to Gold Star families.
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| Photos from Dedication Day
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1,400 American flags were placed around the entire park early Sunday morning by Cub Scout and Girl Scout volunteers . It was an inspiring sight to see all day long. (Photo by Fritz Kern)
Some of the Cub Scouts, getting direction from Ed Rogan. (Photo by Fritz Kern)
Visitors finding the name of their personal fallen hero. Marines stood watch over the granite sentinels all day long. (Photo by Fritz Kern)
Lt.Colonel Stephen Beck, USMC - founder of the "Remembering the Brave" organization - offering his thoughts on remembering and honoring the fallen. To his right is another guest speaker, Brig. General Robert Tate, U.S. Air Force (Retired) (Photo by Fritz Kern)
The "Missing Man" formation flyover by Marine Air Group-39. The flight was led by Major General Thomas Conant, Commanding General 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. (Photo by Fritz Kern)
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| Documentary Video of the Temporary Memorial
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Click the image below to play the Northwood Memorial documentary video
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A Litany of Remembrance
Roland B. Gittelsohn
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We remember them.
In the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
We remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We remember them.
When we are lost and are sick of heart,
We remember them.
When we have Joys we yearn to share,
We remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
For they are now a part of us,
As we remember them.
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Welcome Gold Star Families,
Please look around the site to learn about this community effort to honor your loved one. Before you leave, be sure to stop by the Gold Star page. There you can search for your hero's name on the Memorial and request that a rubbing (tracing) of your loved one's name be sent to you.
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| "Remember the Brave" - an original song
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“And he, he gave his tomorrow
He left his life to serve his country
And he went where few men would follow
Willing to die for you and for me
So don’t let this man’s sacrifice be in vain
Remember his name.”
Country musician Johnny Bulford wrote an original song for the organization "Remembering the Brave" to honor the fallen heroes of Afghanistan and Iraq. He graciously allowed us to include it in our dedication ceremonies and it has become an unofficial anthem of our Memorial. Please take a few moments to listen to it - we think you'll understand why we think it is such a special song: www.youtube.com/watch. To learn more about the song and the artist, visit www.johnnybulford.com/ and click on his blog page.
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| What Names Appear on the Memorial?
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Currently there are 6,253 names engraved in the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial. The time period covered is October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2011. Additional names will be engraved periodically during the year. Click Here to see the current list.
The names of fallen service members engraved on the Memorial are taken from the official Department of Defense weekly casualty reports for Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn (Iraq). The decision to include a death within one of these casualty reports rests exclusively with the Department of Defense. The caretakers of the Memorial use these lists as the basis of what names to include. Consistent with the stated purpose of the Memorial, the only changes to these lists have been to include only the deaths of uniformed service members from the military and the U.S. Coast Guard. While honored, the names of American civilians who have died in these conflicts are not engraved in this Memorial.
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11/30/2011 The link to photo galleries of past events at www.FallenHeroes.SmugMug.com was added to the home page. The event calendar was updated.
11/07/2011 The names of 114 heroes who died between August 1 and September 30, 2011 were added to Panels 18 and 19.
8/28/2011 The names of 198 heroes who died between April 1 and July 31, 2011 were added to Panel 18. Look-up list is updated.
5/19/2011 The names of 227 fallen heroes were added to the Memorial on Panels 17 and 18.
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Congratulations to all the people who worked so passionately for so long to make the dream of a permanent Gratitude and Honor Memorial a reality. You did it! From the reaction of the people who attended the dedication ceremony all the labor and challenges that were overcome were worth the effort.
The Gold Star families and general public alike were deeply moved by the Memorial. Many of the service members supporting the dedication ceremonies lingered afterward and did rubbings of many names. We hope that everyone felt more closure and comfortable that these fallen heroes will not be forgotten.
We would like to thank the men and women from the Marine Corps stationed at Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and the from the Army based at March Army Reserve Base for their participation in the ceremonies. Their presence and professionalism made the day more meaningful and memorable. Thank you all.
Finally, thank you to the members of the public and press that attended and in doing so rendered their appreciation for the sacrifices made by those American service members whose names are inscribed on the granite panels of the Memorial.
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 We send periodic updates to our email list with news about upcoming events and status updates on the construction of the permanent memorial.
Please enter your email address below and click submit to be added to our list.
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Irvine is a city of 217,000 nestled against the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountain range, located 40 miles south of Los Angeles, California and 10 minutes south of Anaheim (home to Disneyland). Once a farming and citrus growing area, Irvine is now a regional business center and home to the University of California-Irvine, and numerous high technology and financial services companies. Incorporated in 1971 as the nation's largest planned community, it regularly ranks high in the U.S. for its liveability, diversity, and safety.
Irvine's history with the military dates back to WWII when the Navy opened a blimp port (still standing) www.militarymuseum.org/MCASTustin.html and USMC Air Station El Toro www.militarymuseum.org/MCASElToro.html bordering on what would become Irvine. These bases remained in operation until 1999 and Irvine was home to many Marines and sailors. Thirty minutes south of Irvine is USMC Camp Pendleton - home of the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (2/11), which was officially adopted by the city on September 15, 2007.
The residents of Irvine and Orange County have a long held respect for our military and are committed to honoring and remembering with gratitude those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation.
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