Veterans honored in rededication ceremony in Cape Coral

Veterans are a big part of the Cape Coral community, so the rededication ceremony for the newly renovated Veterans Memorial Arch on Saturday was meant as a thank you to all of those who have served.

Gratitude, respect, and honor are what they want to give to veterans in Cape Coral.

“It’s been in disrepair over the years. Now, through everybody who worked on this, it’s just a beautiful memorial,” said B. Pat O’Rourke.

All eyes are focused once again on the first thing you see when you come into the city from the Cape Coral Bridge.

“It’s great. I’ve been here for 25 years so I’m so glad to have seen them do this,” O’Rourke said.

In honor of Cape Coral’s 50th birthday, the Veterans Memorial Arch got its own makeover. It now features color-changing LED lights and has been cleaned. On Saturday, the lights were turned on for the very first time during the rededication ceremony.

Air Force Veteran Lt. Col. Gary Peppers said, “I’m thrilled to see it lit up. And the fountain is running again. It reminds me of when we first moved here almost 20 years ago. It’s great.”

All of this in an effort to say thank you to those braves souls, like Peppers, who answered the call to serve our country.

“What it means is that we respect our veterans both past and present who served to protect the freedoms of all Americans, but I already know all that stuff,” Peppers said. “I don’t need monuments to remind me of that nor do other veterans. It’s really for civilians to remember the veterans by. That is what it’s for.”

O’Rourke said there’s no way to miss this. “You can’t come into Cape Coral now, here, without feeling that they are being recognized and thanked.”

The city plans to change the colorful lights to be festive on different holidays.