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The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) will dedicate the “Never Forget Garden” in the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the Louisiana State Capitol on Veterans Day, Thursday, at 11 a.m. Gov. John Bel Edwards and First Lady Donna Edwards will join LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland, COL (USA Retired) for the dedication.

“The dedication of the Never Forget Garden in our Veterans Park is important because it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Strickland said. “These gardens are being put in around the country as a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by our service men and women who died with their remains unidentified.”

The National Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has enlisted the American Rose Society to encourage the creation of Never Forget Gardens to ensure the millions of American service members are forever honored and remembered. The garden in the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park is a statewide volunteer project by Louisiana members of the American Rose Society, the Louisiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Louisiana Garden Club Federation.

The year 2021 marks the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial and stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. The Tomb has also served as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on military service.

If individuals cannot attend the event in person, it will be streamed live via LDVA’s Facebook page.

For more information about the dedication or LDVA, visit online at vetaffairs.la.gov, email veteran@la.gov, call 225-219-5000 or follow the LDVA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.