Chaired by S.C. Senator John Courson, the South Carolina Veterans Monument Commission constructed this plaza with a $250,000 appropriation from the General Assembly. Made of gray granite from Georgia with a diameter of 42 feet, it is the second largest monument on the grounds (after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Memorial) and the last to be completed before the General Assembly proclaimed the site “full” and placed a moratorium on future monument construction. The six flags and corresponding engraved seals feature the five branches of the armed forces and the POW-MIA organization. An additional 30-foot flagpole flies the South Carolina and American flags. The engraving on the wall, written by Senator Courson, reads: “The State of South Carolina is eternally grateful to her sons and daughters who honorably served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.”