Outside the Tom H. Jackson Building on the Middle Tennessee State University campus, the MTSU Veterans Memorial offers a quiet place of reflection for people, particularly around patriotic holidays.

The public is welcome to stop by on Wednesday, July 4, or any other day to pause and reflect on the sacrifices men and women in U.S. armed forces have made for their country.

In addition to a large, two-sided granite monument recognizing soldiers who have died in action, there are six smaller granite monuments, each with a flower basin, for the five military branches — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard — and one for those missing in action.

Another monument, with a floral arrangement on top, reads: “To Those Who Have Fallen Who Were Students First And Served Their Country With Honor.”

Bricks, with inscribed names of living and deceased loved ones and friends, are part of the plaza.