Orange County World War Memorial
Orlando, Orange County, Florida
Marker Inscription
Lest we forget In memory of the Orange County boys who gave their lives in the World War
Erected by Daughters of the American Revolution
The Story
Erected in 1924, just a few years after the guns fell silent in Europe, this memorial gathers the names of Orange County's sons who died in what its generation simply called "the World War" — the First World War. Communities across America raised such monuments in the 1920s, transforming private grief into public remembrance on courthouse lawns and town squares. The phrase "Lest we forget" was the era's watchword for a war meant to end all wars.
Why it matters
It reflects how small American communities memorialized the unprecedented losses of World War I, knitting a rural Florida county into a national and global story of sacrifice.
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Related events
- · World War I
Themes & tags
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