Colorado's Fallen Heroes Memorial, 14 years in the making, formally dedicated ahead of Veterans Day

Military veterans and those on active duty joined the families and friends of those who died while serving their country during the formal dedication of the Colorado Fallen Heroes Memorial on Saturday.

The ceremony, on a bright and warm fall morning, took place in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park just west of the state Capitol in Denver. Gold Star families, active and retired law enforcement officers and cadets from the Civil Air Patrol were also among those in attendance. Gov. Jared Polis, Mayor Michael Hancock, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter, U.S. Army and Tom Wykstra, a Gold Star father, were among those offering tributes and thanks to the fallen members of the military from Colorado.

"This powerful monument honors those Coloradans who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom and our values," Polis said. "They will never be forgotten."

Fourteen years ago, then-Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill that endorsed the creation of a memorial to honor Coloradans killed during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The ground-breaking ceremony for the memorial was two years ago.