A deeply moving exhibition of portraits, “Remembering Our Fallen,” will be on view in Santa Barbara County from Jan. 9 through the end of the month.

Featuring 721 photo portraits of servicemen and women from California, the memorial reminds us of the sacrifice made by those who have lost their lives in the War on Terror in the years that have followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks.


The exhibit, which includes both military and personal photos of each of California’s fallen, has been traveling the state for the last year. We are deeply proud to add Santa Barbara County to the growing list of venues that have hosted this poignant display.

The first stop will be the Santa Barbara Veterans Memorial Building, 112 W. Cabrillo Blvd., where the exhibit will be on display from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 9-16. An opening ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9.

Additional locations are the Lompoc Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 E, Locust Ave., and Santa Maria Town Center, 142 Town Center E., before it moves on to Los Angeles.

“We can never forget those who sacrificed everything for our freedom,” said Bill Williams, co-founder of Patriotic Productions and co-creator of the memorial.

“While this memorial is about those who have died, it was created for the living … to help the families in their grief, while reminding the rest of us of the terrible price paid for our freedom by our current generation of military.”

Admission to the exhibition at all of the Santa Barbara County venues will be free of charge, underwritten by the nonprofit Sons of the American Revolution-Santa Barbara Chapter. Email sbarsar@gmail.com for more information, or call 805.448.1643.

California’s “Remembering Our Fallen” memorial is one of 18 completed  state memorials (representing half of the country’s fallen since 9/11) created by the nonprofit organization Patriotic Productions,  headquartered in Omaha, Neb. Their goal is to complete a memorial for every state. The California memorial is sponsored by Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb.

California’s “Remembering Our Fallen” memorializes 11 individuals from the Santa Maria area, three from Lompoc, two each from Solvang and Vandenberg Air Force Base, and one from Buellton. This is an extraordinary opportunity for our community to pay respects to them, and to all the veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

— Ron Zell is registrar of Sons of the American Revolution-Santa Barbara Chapter.