Bricks memorialize and honor veterans

L-R:  Adam Boukari and Jim Yakubsin lay bricks as part of the more than 100 engraved bricks being placed around a veterans memorial at Alachua City Hall recently.

The four by eight inch laser-engraved red brick pavers are part of a fundraiser to help fund the cost of a building for Gator Detachment 990 of the Marine Corps League.  The sandstone colored bricks are being placed in honor of veterans from Alachua County who made the ultimate sacrifice in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

With some 4,000 available brick spaces in front of City Hall, more than 100 have already been reserved and placed. 

Memorial bricks can be purchased through the Marine Corps League’s Gator Detachment at a cost of $110.  Each brick comes with a miniature replica for keepsake.

Anyone wishing to honor or memorialize a veteran through the brick paver program may do so by visiting the Gator Detachment Website at www.gatordet.com or by calling Jim Yakubsin at 386-462-0493.

A formal ceremony for placement of the bricks is expected to be scheduled in the next several months.