Jacksonville’s Liberty Fountain is once again dedicated to military personnel.

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The East Fountain was rededicated to military personnel and veterans on Friday.

Jacksonville’s Liberty Fountain welcomes many visitors, including military personnel, to downtown Jacksonville.

“Someone must have walked past the fountain and is getting ready to check into Camp Lejeune,” said Marcia Wright, a re-opening attendee and member of the Onslow Civil Affairs Committee.

Wright moved to the area more than 40 years ago with her late husband. She told WITN she is proud to call Jacksonville home.

“My late husband was a Marine, so we came here for four years,” Wright said. “But we ended up staying here for 43, maybe 44, until he passed away.”

Brent Anderson, who grew up in Jacksonville, is chairman of Onslow’s Civic Affairs Committee. He says the military is a key part of who and what the community is.

“Grew up in Onslow County,” Anderson said. “The military has always been a part of everything we do. It’s an integral part of what we do, especially with the ospreys and helicopters flying to the sound of guns during training at the base.”

The community and the military are tied together, which is why the annual Liberty Fountain celebration took place just days before Veterans Day.

The fountain at the corner of New Bridge Street and Lejeune Boulevard has three parts: a large spout in the center symbolizing freedom, three medium jets of water for the federal, state and local governments, and 50 smaller jets of water symbolizing each state that produces water. . up the nation.

“We know the stress families face moving in and out of the area,” Anderson said. “They face deployment, coming home and all the uncertainty that can come with it and all the hard times at any time.”

Officials say the purpose of the ceremony is to show tourists what Jacksonville is all about.

“I think it’s important to have this event every year so people know what it is, why it’s here and what it means to us,” Wright said.

The Jacksonville Veterans Day Parade begins tomorrow at Coastal Carolina Community College at 10 a.m.