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GAR Statue now sits at Memorial Park GAR Memorial & Memorial Park
Rockford, Kent County

"Defenders of Our Union"

"Dedicated to the memory of the 14 men who gave their lives in the service of their country, and to the 522 men and women of this community who served in the armed forces of the United States in World War II, December 7, 1941 to September 2, 1945."

Relocated again in 2005, this GAR monument is a pretty typical presentation found at many Michigan GAR areas. In fact, this statue is an exact duplicate of the GAR memorial at Sand Lake, just a few files north of here. The Rockford statue was previously located at the city library and town square. It now rests on the lawn of a parks and recreation area just about three blocks from the city center.

The park was first designated

Millions of these were
given to WW II vets as Memorial Park to honor the men and women of World War II. It's interesting that I found no flag flying here when I visited, not even a pole in evidence. That visit took place only a short time after the GAR statue had been moved from uptown and that may have been the reason for the lack of a flagpole.

Notice the eagle in the circle placed at the bottom of the WW II inscription. It's known among WW II veterans as the "Ruptured Duck" and represents a small lapel pin given to honorably discharged veterans of the war. These veterans are dying at the rate of 1,000 per day. It's probable that millions of these little pins are showing up in the hands of their grandchildren, who may have no idea excactly what it meant for Grampa or Grandma to receive this memento of wartime service.