ESCONDIDO -- The sun illuminated three bronze statues at Grape Day Park on Sunday morning as eager hands unveiled a tribute to all who have served or will serve their country in uniform.

Hundreds of people came to the park on Veterans Day to see the Wall of Courage memorial , which shows a woman and two men standing before a curved wall. The wall is covered with plaques bearing the names of military members who served in conflicts from World War I to the current war in Iraq.

A class of special education students at Oak Hill Elementary in Escondido had the idea for the memorial, and worked for its fundraising.

The students spent more than three years collecting 1 million pennies to pay for a part of the $125,000 project. Veterans organizations, private philanthropists, and the Escondido City Council contributed the rest of the funds.

At Sunday's ceremony, artist Gale Pruitt stood before the crowd and explained that the three statues honor all those who serve in the military.

"We have a past, we have a present and we have a future," Pruitt said.

She said the statue of a woman, dressed in a pilot's uniform, stands both for the contribution of military women and for all veterans who served in the past. Next to the woman is a tall man in combat dress, representing everyone now serving in the armed services. That soldier's left arm is outstretched toward a young man wearing an ROTC uniform.

Pruitt explained that the outstretched arm has its own meaning.

"He is giving the power to the ROTC student," she said.

The meaning of the bronze artwork was not lost on WWII veteran Stan Arneson, 88, of Escondido.

Wearing a white VFW hat and a blue nylon jacket emblazoned with war military patches, Arneson examined the statues at Sunday's unveiling. A veteran of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Arneson said he liked that the memorial was not just looking back at the nation's previous military accomplishments but also forward toward present and future conflicts.

"We need to pass it on to the next generation," Arneson said. "We need to keep the public informed that we can't be isolationists. We need to keep a strong military."

Nearby Lt. Col. Mark Johnson, a member of the Army National Guard who served in Iraq in 2004, stood in uniform. A career military man with 23 years in the armed forces, Johnson said he appreciated the effort, driven by civilians, to honor those who serve.

"I think it's a good chance for the community to pay their respects," Johnson said.

For 9-year-old Junior Alvaraeo and Ruth Savela, 10 -- two of the students who helped make the memorial possible -- the unveiling was a chance to see their hard work pay off.

Pushing their way through a crowd of adults, the kids climbed onto the statue's base to have their picture taken.

"It's all finished," Junior exclaimed, one arm wrapped around a bronze leg.

Teacher Angie Hazel was visibly proud of her students as she spoke from a podium set up at the unveiling.

"You are the candles lighting the future, and the community thanks you," she said.

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt-Pfeiler, who worked with the students to pass a council resolution supporting the Wall of Courage, said Sunday that she was immediately struck by the students' patriotism and long-term commitment.

"They truly understood. They understood what it was all about," she said. "It had to be taken to the community."escon

Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.