The sixth annual Field of Flags returned to the War Memorial Center to honor every resident of Wisconsin killed in action since it became a state in 1848.
Hundreds of volunteers installed the Field of Flags during the week of May 19, despite two days of rain delays. Each flag in Veterans Park was staked by hand and placed with precision, transforming the lakefront into one of the state’s most visible tributes to its fallen.
The dedication ceremony was held on May 23, attended by public officials, Gold Star families, Veterans, and community leaders. The field will remain on public display through Memorial Day.
“They are a testament to our belief that our finest hours are ahead of us,” said Secretary James Bond, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. “These flags represent an unmistakable message that we believe in the promise of these United States of America.”
The War Memorial Center’s Memorial Day tradition started in 2020 with 2,972 American flags representing Milwaukee service members killed in action since World War II. The Field of Flags grew larger every year after, and in 2024 it reached a complete capacity to honor every Wisconsinite who died in service to the nation.
Now totaling 27,316 flags of the United States of America, the display spans more than a century and a half of military sacrifice, from the earliest Wisconsin casualties to service members lost in modern wars.
“This powerful tribute to the price of freedom is a sight to behold,” says Co Nguyen, President & CEO of the War Memorial Center. “We hope everyone gets a chance to walk through the Field of Flags and reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day. Freedom is certainly not free.”
The figure spans every major American conflict over more than 160 years. From the Civil War (1861–1865) to the Spanish-American War (1898), World War I (1917–1918), and World War II (1941–1945). It includes those lost in Korea (1950–1953), Vietnam (1955–1975), the Gulf War (1990–1991), and more recent military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (2001–2021). Each flag serves as a visual tribute to the sacrifice across generations of Wisconsin families.
Civil War: 12,301
World War I: 3,976
World War II: 8,390
Korean War: 801
Vietnam: 1,161
Gulf War and Global War on Terror: 64
Peacetime: 623
The Field of Flags stretches across the grounds of Veterans Park, directly in front of the War Memorial Center — a civic landmark built in 1957 and designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen.
The building’s cantilevered structure and cruciform shape were directly inspired by the German pillbox bunkers encountered during the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach. To inform his design, Saarinen interviewed four Wisconsin veterans who had stormed those fortifications, including Bill Pekrul.
Elevated above its base on slender columns, the structure reflects both the defensive geometry of wartime and the enduring cost of freedom. Overlooking Lake Michigan, the War Memorial Center was dedicated “To Honor the Dead by Serving the Living.”
Today, it remains a central hub for veterans’ services, civic remembrance, and public education.
© Photo
Lee Matz
