Just outside the Sandy City Hall a concrete path leads visitors to a pentagon-shaped sidewalk surrounding a large stone monolith.
Bronze statues, one representing a battlefield cross and one displaying a woman reflecting on a lost loved one, convey a somber reminder of the price many individuals paid for American freedoms.
This powerful realization inspired Plymouth Elementary fifth-grader Alexia Chase to write about her own observations about sacrifice and honor, and her words caught the attention of judges in the Utah Freedom Memorial Essay Contest.
The Memorial, which was dedicated last week, was erected to honor men and women of the U.S. armed forces and to instill an appreciation for freedoms among youth.
Alexia is among five 3rd place winners who will have their essays displayed in a binder near the Utah Freedom Memorial site and on the Utah Freedom Memorial website.