A memorial inscribed with the names of 520 Hillsborough County residents killed during World War II will be dedicated Dec. 7, 2017 as part of a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony. It's the 76th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack that marked the United States official entry into the war.
Hillsborough County is home to the largest veteran population (98,000) in the state. And the county has a park dedicated to those who served in the military during war and peace.
The Hillsborough Veterans Memorial Park, 3602 Highway 301 North, Tampa, is now home to a new, Veterans Resource Center that gives veterans one location to apply for all available services and benefits.
The 10 a.m. ceremony includes the official opening of the resource center as well as a dedication of the park’s new, World War II Memorial, a brick plaza flanked by twin walls with images from the European and Pacific theaters. There are two bridges to commemorate the Bataan Death March and the Battle of Remagen and a monument that commemorates the role of the Navy’s Seabees (Construction Battalions).
The Pearl Harbor Day ceremony is open to the public. The park hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and museum hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
