Honoring veterans From the cover
What you need to know
New, upcoming features at the Veterans Memorial Park
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The new museum and education center, which totals just under 11,000 square feet, will feature rotating exhibits, LED screens that play clips of various footage and information, an interactive directory and a gift shop, Woods said. There are also plans for more events, including a lecture series. The MCVMC broke ground on the project in 2023, and it was funded by some of the $7 million in state funding the commission received, which state Rep. Will Metcalf helped secure. “I was proud to assist in this effort, and it is inspiring to see how far the park has come and how many wonderful things still lie ahead,” Metcalf said. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said the new building will be a community hub with educational experiences, serving as a way for the community to engage with history. “They also serve as a critical center for awareness and outreach, highlighting the resources and advocacy that are so essential to the needs of our veterans and first responders,” Keough said. The new center joins nearly a dozen other memorials at the park—all honoring veterans or first responders. One of the park’s largest memorials is The Line, a series of panels with veterans’ names. Any veteran, not just those who live in the county, can be nominated to have their name on The Line through a form on the commission’s website. There are over 200 names on The Line so far, Woods said. On Nov. 8, the 12th panel was dedicated. Looking ahead, the commission is aiming to dedicate its two new memorials—the WOW Star to honor women of war and a Gold Star Families memorial—sometime in 2026.
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PHOTOS BY LIZZY SPANGLER/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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1 The Line A series of panels with veterans’ names on them, the commission adds new panels to The Line each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. 2 WOW Star The WOW—women of war—Star is a new memorial at the park that is anticipated to be dedicated in the spring of 2026.
3 Honored Mission Veterans Museum and Jimmie C. Edwards III Education Center The park’s new building will house, among other things, rotating exhibits. 4 Gold Star Families Memorial This new memorial will honor Gold Star families— families who’ve had loved ones die during their service.
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMISSION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
A closer look
All of the work by the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission is guided by its current chairperson Jimmie C. Edwards, who is also a former county judge and former state representative. In 2017, he led the effort to relocate the park to its new home along I-45.
The history of the commission
May 31, 1972: First Montgomery County Veterans Historical War Memorial is dedicated in downtown Conroe.
Nov. 11, 2020: The POW/ MIA Memorial Walk and the Sgt. Luther James Dorsey Memorial Bridge are dedicated.
May 31, 2021: The Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park is dedicated.
July 29, 2025: County commissioners approve a land lease request from the commission related to its future expansion plans.
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2017: The MCVMC, under the leadership of former county judge and veteran Jimmie C. Edwards, is formed and relocates the veterans memorial from downtown Conroe to the new Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and Educational Center.
2026: The park’s new Honored Mission Veterans Museum and Jimmie C. Edwards III Education Center is anticipated to open and the WOW Star and Gold Star Family Memorial are anticipated to be completed.
May 24, 2021: The park’s monuments are moved from downtown Conroe to the new park.
Nov. 11, 2023: The commission breaks ground on its new museum and education center.
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMISSION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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