Fort Lewis Memorial Park honors soldiers

Several hundred soldiers and guests gathered at Fort Lewis Thursday to dedicate Memorial Park, 4.2 acres of the Army post set aside to honor soldiers who have died since 9/11.

The park now has two memorials honoring soldiers from two Stryker Brigades.

The 1st (Stryker) Brigade, 25th Infantry Division that deployed to Iraq lost 44 men, and has moved its memorial from the Fort Lewis Museum to the new park.

A second memorial honors 42 soldiers from the 4th (Stryker) Brigade 2nd Infantry Division, which also deployed to Iraq.

Memorial Park has room for 17 memorials from different units at Fort Lewis.

Visitors can stop at the Fort Lewis visitors' center at the main gate, and request a pass to enter the post, according to Joe Piek, a Fort Lewis spokesman.

Memorial Park is next to the future site of Reflection Park. This is a planned 6-acre, privately funded effort to memorialize fallen Washington state service members from WWI to the present.

Times staff and news services