Veterans History Project

When Lakewood was founded as a city in 1954, many of its original residents were veterans and their families. The city’s appreciation for military duty in service to our country was strong then and has continued to be strong in every generation since.

When the city renovated and expanded its Veterans Memorial Plaza in 2015 at Del Valle Park, commemorative bricks were laid around the memorial so that veterans with a connection to Lakewood could be remembered and honored.

To accompany the bricks and the memorial, the city created the online Veterans History Project at www.lakewoodveterans.org.

On the website, you'll see profile pages of Lakewood-connected veterans and active-duty military service members, including those whose names appear on the commemorative bricks at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Del Valle Park. The site also includes a section on the 'Boys of Del Valle Park.'

How to submit a profile story

The public is invited to complete the Veterans History Story Submission online form with the details about their Lakewood-connected veteran's service and submit a picture. Assistance is available on the form if needed.

• A veteran is not required to have a brick installed at Veterans Memorial Plaza to be featured on the website.
• Submissions may be made for all veterans, including active duty, as long as they have a tie to Lakewood, California.

The form has three steps:

1. Answer questions about the veteran and their service. Questioned are listed below.

2. Upload a clear digital photo (.jpg format -- not PDF) of the veteran alone, preferably a portrait style or head-and-shoulders photo. Use the veteran’s name as the file name.

3. Provide a brief paragraph or two about the veteran's military service and what it meant to them and their family. Include some details so the reader can get to know a little more about the veteran (limit of 400 words).

Questions about the veteran

• What is the veteran's connection to Lakewood (born/raised/live/work here, etc)?
• Veteran's name and final rank
• Branch of service (Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy (including merchant mariners who served in WWII)
• Dates of service
• Location of service and/or conflicts
• Medals earned
• Has a brick been purchased or installed for this veteran in the Lakewood Veterans Memorial?
• If a brick has been purchased/installed, provide brick location number (if not, we'll look it up)