Base, community partner to honor the fallen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brittany Liddon
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  In 2010, families from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, started a project, called the Living Memorial Project, to honor service members in the Tampa Bay area who died in the line of duty during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The original plan for the project was to plant palm trees in the medians along South Dale Mabry Highway from Gandy Boulevard to MacDill’s main gate.

“Many times while driving on or off base in 2010, we would pull over to salute yet another limousine delivering one of our honored heroes back to Tampa Bay from war,” said Katrina Farrell, spouse of a military member stationed at MacDill. “I thought it would be nice to see the entrance and exit to MacDill be welcoming to the families of those heroes.”

However, the number of service member deaths exceeded the space available and the Florida Department of Transportation design standards limited the number of median places suitable for planting palm trees.

Due to concerns with the number of the desired palm trees and the close proximity of the aircraft runway, FDOT, City of Tampa and Team MacDill joined forces and decided to install a larger breed of palm tree, though fewer in number, and recognize and honor soldiers, sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen through planting a design at ground level.

The ground level designs to be planted in the medians will be in the shape of the Purple Heart Ribbon and the Air Force enlisted rank insignias.

“Research by the project team, which consisted of representatives from all branches of service, has shown that no other community in the U.S. has done this type of memorial honoring our service members,” said James Rodriguez, base community planner assigned to the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron. “This is a unique, one of a kind, innovative project right here, in Tampa.”

The FDOT provided the notice to proceed to the city of Tampa in June 2015 and construction began in August 2016.

The project completion date is slated for May 1, 2017.

“I am so very grateful for all of the talented, connected people who took the project to completion,” said Farrell. “I hope to be there to celebrate with everyone once it is completed.”