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A monument to honor Floridians who died while serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is being unveiled this weekend in Port St. Lucie.
The Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial of Florida will be the first of its kind in the state. It lists the names of the hundreds of the soldiers from Florida who were killed in both wars.
Port St. Lucie City Councilman David Pickett is a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and says that 50 other cities wanted the monument. He says he fought so hard for it partly because one of the soldiers whose name is on the memorial served alongside him.
Saturday’s dedication ceremony at Veteran’s Memorial Park starts at Noon.
It will include a rifle salute by active duty troops, a wreath-laying presentation for families in attendance whose loved ones’ names are on the memorial and several guest speakers.
Meanwhile, watch out for traffic issues. The southbound right hand lane along Veterans Memorial Parkway will be closed during the event. That’s expected to cause some slowdowns in the area.
