On Saturday, October 26, following the home Grizzly military appreciation football game against Eastern Washington, the Fallen Soldier Memorial will be recognized as the official State Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Memorial.

David Bell, co-founder and president of Grateful Nation Montana, said on Wednesday, October 16, that the timing for the announcement is fitting to honor the memorial.

"30 minutes after the final whistle of the Griz game, there will be a short dedication ceremony for the Fallen Soldier Memorial," Bell said. "The governor will be there, along with president Royce Engstrom, General Quinn, myself, and I hope, many of the attendees of the game will stop at this ceremony on their way out."

Bell said many of the family members of those fallen soldiers enshrined in the memorial will attend the event.

"We've got quite a few of the families, that we call our Gold Star families, parents, spouses, and siblings of our 43 Montana soldiers who will be there," Bell said. "We actually have 38 children left behind by our 43 fallen soldiers, and quite a few will be attending the game. Many are coming from outside Missoula to attend the dedication. The ceremony will last no more than 30 minutes, and it's a great opportunity to honor those who stepped up and served their country and laid down their lives, and who we need to remember."

The monument was installed at UM in 2011, and officially dedicated on November 4, 2011.

David Bell, co-founder and president of Grateful Nation Montana

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