On Sept. 2, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the United States, offically ending World War II. More than 16 million Americans served in the War, at a cost of more than 400,000 American lives, 156 of which were from Marin County.

On Monday, May 28, 2001, nearly 56 years after the war ended, a memorial honoring "All who served" was finally erected on the Avenue of the Flags at the Marin Civic Center.

In a moving and poignant ceremony the monument was unveiled and dedicated by World War II Memorial Committee members.

In the early planning stages, the committee quickly realized there are not many companies capable of producing the type of monument they had in mind. After an exhaustive search, the memorial committee located the V. Fontana Company in Colma, after learning it was the only company on the West Coast capable of fabricating such a monument.

"When they learned about what the project was, Mark (Fontana) called us

back and said, 'we're going to do this for you.'" said Erma Parsons, whose husband Denis is a WWII veteran and committee member.

The 14-foot high memorial, weighing more than 9 tons, was cut from a single 10-ton block of granite from the Raymond granite quarry near Fresno. The design for the memorial was conceived by Elio Fontana, also a World War II veteran. His son, Mark, now manages the company. Phil Fioresi designed the layout and engraving and Pietro Masnada, who has been with the company for 48 years and was hired by Mark's grandfather, did the fabrication and milling work. Daryl Sowers crafted all the fine detailing and finishing.

The graceful and strong lines carved into the granite rise upward through the seals of the five branches of the armed forces of the facade. The monument is capped by a 50-inch bronze American eagle.