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Veterans Day, November 11, is a day for us to recognize the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. While Memorial Day honors those who died while serving our country, Veterans Day recognizes all who have served, both living and deceased.
For those of us who haven’t served in the military, Veterans Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy, protected by generations of Americans who stepped forward to serve, often spending months or years away from their families and putting their own plans on hold. Taking time to learn their stories, thank a veteran, or simply acknowledge that service is one small way civilians can participate in the day.
Across Arkansas, communities have found many different ways to make sure that service isn’t forgotten. Veterans memorials can be found on courthouse lawns, in city parks, outside museums and tucked into small downtown squares. Some are simple monuments engraved with the names of local men and women. Others include statues, walls of honor, flags, military equipment or bricks purchased by families to recognize someone they love.
Veterans memorials serve different purposes, too. Some remember Arkansans who lost their lives in a particular war or conflict, while many honor everyone from a community who answered the call to serve. Together, they offer places to remember those we’ve lost while also recognizing the thousands of Arkansas veterans who came home, raised families, built careers and continued serving their communities in other ways.
This Veterans Day, consider visiting one of these memorials across Arkansas. Read the names, look closely at the details and spend a few minutes thinking about the people and stories represented there.
Bella Vista | Veterans Wall of Honor
101 Veterans Way
More than 4,800 veterans are represented on granite tablets surrounding a central fountain, but there is more here than a wall of names. Visitors can also follow a military-history timeline, see historic flags and learn about veterans from the Revolutionary War through more recent conflicts.
Searcy | White County Veterans Memorials
White County Courthouse, 300 N. Spruce St.
Several memorials around the courthouse remember White County veterans. One bears the names of local service members lost in World War I, World War II and Korea, while a separate Vietnam memorial recognizes White County’s fallen and missing from that war. The city is currently building a new memorial as part of the Veterans Park, which will be located beside the Searcy Swim Center.
Walnut Ridge | Lawrence County Veterans Memorial
Lawrence County Courthouse, 315 W. Main St.
Dedicated in 1995, this memorial honors all veterans rather than focusing on one particular war. The courthouse grounds include several military markers and displays, making this a good companion stop to the nearby Wings of Honor Museum and Walnut Ridge’s World War II aviation history.
Newport | Jackson County Veterans Memorial
Corner of Front and Hazel streets
Located in downtown Newport, the memorial honors Jackson County veterans with engraved bricks and tributes to those who died in service. It’s a good example of the hometown memorials found in communities across Arkansas.
Jacksonville | Jacksonville Museum of Military History
100 Veterans Circle
This stop is part museum and part memorial. Located on the grounds of the former Arkansas Ordnance Plant, it tells the story of Jacksonville’s long military connection, while a memorial outside remembers the 53 people killed in a Titan II missile silo explosion in 1965.
Little Rock | Arkansas State Capitol Grounds Veterans Memorials
500 Woodlane St.
You can see several important memorials in one stop. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial features a bronze infantryman surrounded by the names of Arkansans killed or missing in the war. Nearby, the Medal of Honor Memorial honors Arkansas recipients with a bronze eagle and individual plaques, while the Gold Star Families Memorial recognizes families who lost a loved one in military service.
Benton | Saline County Veterans Memorial
Saline County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St.
More than 2,300 names line the brick pathway at this downtown memorial, and they aren’t limited to veterans who died in service. The bricks recognize living and deceased veterans, making this as much a celebration of service as a place of remembrance. In 2025, local teen Brianna Moore, volunteered more than 150 hours to catalog the names in the memorial to make it easier for visitors to locate the names of their loved ones.
North Little Rock | Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
120 Riverfront Park Drive
The USS Razorback and USS Hoga are impressive on their own, but don’t overlook the memorials outside. The grounds remember the crews of the USS Snook and USS Scorpion, two submarines lost with their crews, including Arkansas connections among the men remembered.
Hot Springs | Veterans Memorial of Garland County
118 Orange St.
This memorial recognizes veterans from all branches with ties to Garland County. Personalized bricks, pavers and other features allow families to add individual veterans and their service to the larger memorial.
Mountain Home | Veterans Plaza 2000
Downtown Mountain Home
Veterans Plaza has become the center of the community’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances and includes a Veterans Wall. A separate 9/11 memorial at the plaza contains an actual piece of the World Trade Center.
Ash Flat | Ash Flat Veterans Memorial
The scale of this memorial is surprising for a small Arkansas town. Built to recognize veterans from all American wars, the site was designed with statues, a history wall, Purple Heart memorial and displays of military equipment, making it one of the more visually interesting stops on the list.
Marshall | Searcy County Veterans Memorials
Searcy County Courthouse and Veterans Memorial Hall
There are actually several things to see here. The courthouse Wall of Honor contains hundreds of names, while another memorial recognizes Searcy County residents lost during wartime. Nearby Veterans Memorial Hall houses a small museum devoted to local military history.
Rector | Veterans Memorial Park
South Main Street
A life-size bronze World War II soldier stands at the center of this downtown park and represents veterans of all branches. A Heritage Walkway contains engraved pavers honoring local veterans, with special stones recognizing those killed in action.
Fort Smith | Fort Smith National Cemetery
522 Garland Ave.
Established from a burial ground associated with the early military post at Fort Smith, this national cemetery holds nearly two centuries of military history. Memorials on the grounds include tributes to Vietnam veterans and Pearl Harbor, and WWII Ranger leader Brig. Gen. William O. Darby is buried here.
Fort Smith | Chaffee Crossing Veterans Memorial Plaza
7313 Terry St.
Fort Chaffee has touched the lives of soldiers, families and refugees since 1941, and the memorial plaza preserves some of those connections through personalized bricks. Nearby, the Vietnam Veterans Museum includes military equipment such as an Army personnel carrier and helicopter.
Sheridan | B-17 Memorial Park
Sheridan Park
This memorial has a story that immediately sets it apart. The original memorial remembers the airmen killed in a B-17 training crash near Sheridan during World War II, while the expanded park also recognizes Grant County veterans killed in action. A B-17 replica stands prominently in the park.
El Dorado | Union County Courthouse Veterans Memorials
Union County Courthouse Square
Rather than one monument, the courthouse lawn contains a collection of memorials covering several generations of service. Visitors will find tributes connected to the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Gulf War and the Merchant Marines.
Jonesboro | Craighead County Veterans Monument
Craighead County Courthouse, 511 S. Main St.Located on the courthouse grounds in downtown Jonesboro, this memorial honors Craighead County men and women who served in the U.S. military. The monument provides a central place for the community to recognize local veterans and is used as a gathering place for Veterans Day observances and other remembrance ceremonies.
Van Buren | Veterans Memorial Plaza
815 Main St.
The design makes this one stand out. Water features represent the branches of the Armed Forces and POW/MIA service members, while a battle cross provides a more solemn reminder of those who did not return home.
Fayetteville | Fayetteville National Cemetery
1000 S. Lt. Col. Leroy Pond Ave.
The cemetery began with Union soldiers whose remains were moved here from Civil War battlefields including Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove. Today, rows of military headstones and a veterans carillon connect Arkansas service across generations, and the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
These 20 memorials are only a small sampling of the places across Arkansas dedicated to our veterans. In towns large and small, you’ll find plaques on courthouse lawns, monuments in city parks, walls filled with names and other reminders of the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
This Veterans Day, take a few minutes to visit one near you. Stop, read the names and remember that behind every one is an Arkansan who stepped forward to serve.
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