Veterans Memorial Freedom Flame

For Tom Witts, and other veterans of the United States armed forces, "the night the lights went out in Georgia" occurred in late 2005, when the eternal flame on Snellville's Vietnam Veterans memorial was extinguished and the memorial was moved to the new City Hall. For twenty years, the eternal flame had burned in tribute to the veterans who served in the Vietnam war. According to Witts, who is Snellville's Mayor Pro Tem, "As a veteran myself, and being involved in Veteran organizations, I was well aware that the eternal flame meant more to the veterans than the city Fathers realized. For years, I was part of the ceremony that included placing a wreath on the monument each Memorial Day. But when the monument was moved to its current location and the flame wasn't relit that tradition ended.

In November of 2011, Witts, reflecting on the fact that the City of Snellville did not have a public celebration of Veteran's Day, announced that he was committing himself to relighting the eternal flame. Witts thought it would be a relatively simple task, but soon found out it was anything but. "The first obstacle was that we couldn't get a gas line to the current location. Then we explored moving the monument but met resistance from the citizens who chose the present site."

Not one to be deterred from fulfilling a commitment, Witts sought alternatives to his original plan with one goal in mind, keeping his promise to relight Snellville's eternal flame. After considering a number of options, Witts settled on a new memorial, one that would celebrate the contributions of all veterans-- from those who served in the Revolutionary War to those who served in Afghanistan.

That was when former City Councilman Chad Smith, an architect and president of CAS Architecture entered the picture. Although Witts and Smith never served together on the Snellville City Council, they both had served along with former Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Bender.

Bender brought the two men together and the result is the new Veteran's Memorial Freedom Flame which will be erected on the City Hall complex on Oak Rd.

Smith stated, "I was thrilled to be asked by Tom to be part of this exciting project. This will be a monument to all those who served our country."

The monument will include a "wall of veterans", an eternal flame, and a water fall. It will be completely funded by donations, and through the sale tiles, (which will have veterans' names etched in them) and brick pavers (which will have personalized names or tributes etched in them).

4x8 Paver $140.00 Replica $60.00
8x8 Paver $195.00 Replica $85.00
6x6 Tile (for Veterans Only) $140.00 Replica $60.00
Direct delivery of replica to home - Additional $10

***Please Note***

No Graphics are allowed on the Veteran Tiles and they must follow the format of:
Lines 1 & 2 - Name
Line 3 - Branch of Service
Line 4 - Years of service or war/conflict

Please make checks payable to:

Snellville Veteran's Memorial
2342 Oak Rd
Snellville, GA 30078

How to Order

Just follow the simple step by step process below to place your donation. Be sure you are happy with your brick design as they will pretty much look like the image on the computer.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Pay online with a major credit card (VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC).
Pay by check or money order.
Follow the on-screen directions during checkout.

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Bender at 770-235-9006