DAPHNE — Camden Casey graduated from Daphne High School (DHS) in 2021 and joined the United States military, a decision he made the week before he earned his diploma after a recruiting officer visited the school.

This week he returned to the DHS campus to check in with principal Fletcher Comer on the construction progress of the first large-scale veteran's memorial within the Baldwin County Public School (BCPS) system.

“Even though this is on the Daphne campus, this goes for Baldwin County, this goes for Alabama, but most importantly it goes for all of our veterans across the world and across the country,” Casey said on the memorial. “This is for them; it is to honor them. I’m super excited that Daphne is doing this.”

The memorial is set to be installed in front of the high school building. Already, granite benches symbolizing each branch of service have been installed in a circle around the flagpole.

Between the flag and the school entrance will be a walkway paved with 3,500 bricks, listing names and ranks of local and non-local veterans.

At the end of the walkway closest to the school entrance, a space is designated for a Trojan statue.

On the other side, closest to the flagpole, there is a space for a 9,000-pound hexagon with the seal of each branch of service and the military oath on the sides. It resembles a hexagon found at the Battleship in Mobile, which rests under a statue of a soldier reciting the oath. The DHS memorial will not have a statue on top.

Principal Comer said this project has been in the works for several years. He thanked State Rep. Matt Simpson for the installation of the benches and Superintendent Eddie Tyler and the board of education for the flagpole.

He said anyone, Daphne local or across the country, can purchase one of the bricks lining the pathway in honor of a family member, friend or stranger who is a veteran.

The $40 cost covers the engraving and installation; anything leftover is donated to local veteran organizations including the American Legion in Fairhope, the Veteran Cemetery and William F. Green State Veterans Home.

DHS is recognized as an Alabama Purple Star School, an award for schools that show commitment to students and families connected to the U.S. military.

Other BCPS schools that have received Purple Star distinction include Stonebridge Elementary, Florence B. Mathis Elementary, Spanish Fort High, W. J. Carroll Intermediate and Daphne East Elementary.

All schools in the Daphne feeder pattern are Purple Star recipients. Comer said DHS was looking for more ways to honor the school’s military families when they decided to build the memorial.

Comer said he has already purchased a brick in honor of his father, a veteran, who has regularly attended veteran events held at the school in the past.

“So, it’s personal,” he said on what the project means for him as principal, “but also, as educators, you have to train every generation and we want them to understand what it means to be a good citizen and what it means to have the right kind of pride in your country and what it stands for.”

Construction on the memorial is set to wrap up near the end of April, with complete installment set to be revealed in a celebration event to be held around Memorial Day next year.

Comer said a brick could make a nice gift for a close friend or family member while doubling as an opportunity to honor veterans.

“Society is what we make it,” he said. “When we work together to do great things for each other, society gets stronger, and we felt like this was an opportunity for people to — in a very small way but important way — give back to the greater good.”

For those who would like to purchase a brick for the Walk of Remembrance, visit https://sites.google.com/ibaldwin.org/u-s-veterans-memorial/home.