Miramar National Veterans Cemetery

Courtesy Clay Perkins

Today, a 15-foot-bronze, concrete, and stainless steel monument to American POWs was dedicated at the new Miramar National Veterans Cemetery in San Diego.

The ten-foot-tall figure of a male prisoner of war emerging from captivity (titled “The Liberation Moment”) was created by Richard Becker, a San Diego sculptor.

A plaque installed on the statue’s base reads, “This statue conveys the excitement, trepidation, exhilaration and emotion of the LIBERATION moment, as the emaciated soldier steps out of the darkness into the “Sunshine of Freedom.” He portrays the hundreds of thousands who were bound in captivity by the infamy of foreign enemies. This is to stand as an eternal legacy for our community by reminding visitors of the sacrifice of veterans during America’s efforts to keep alive the hopes and dreams of freedom for oppressed around the world.”