The Black Hills War Monument Association (BHWMA), founded in January 2022, is a 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring fallen military members from the Black Hills of South Dakota. The BHWMA worked from January 2022 – May 2023, in designing and erecting the Black Hills War Monument, located in Memorial Park near downtown Rapid City. Six large granite walls contain the engraved names of almost 700 fallen military, covering World War I, World War II, the Korean/Vietnam Wars, the Cold War/Global War on Terror (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts). The sixth wall is for POW/MIA members from all wars. In addition, the Kabul 13 military members who died serving their nation and humanity on August 26, 2021, are included on the GWOT wall.
Use of any smartphone camera enables the viewer to link with a QR code to the BHWMA website (www.bhwma.org). The military histories and legacies of each name listed can be viewed. Behind each wall stand the 6 military service flags, and the center of the site features the US Flag, POW/MIA flag, and state of South Dakota flag, all flown on a 40 ft flagpole. All flags are raised and lowered by local volunteers for all half-staff days, and ground-based lighting permits night viewing.
