Take a look to your left: you’ll see a gently curved wall of polished granite, topped with a display of flags. This is part of the Eugene A. Obregon Medal of Honor Monument, dedicated to the United States’ highest military award, the Medal of Honor. Unlike its French namesake, the U.S. Medal of Honor is strictly a military decoration, awarded for acts of extraordinary bravery in combat. Stretching across the wall are roughly 3,500 engraved names, honoring every recipient of the Medal of Honor since the award was created during the Civil War under President Abraham Lincoln. Bronze medallions highlight the different branches of the U.S. armed forces. The project began in 1993, when three World War II veterans established a foundation to make it happen, and after years of fundraising and community effort, the Wall of Honor was officially unveiled in 2011. At the heart of the monument is Eugene A. Obregon, a young Marine born in Los Angeles who died at 19 during the Korean War in 1950 while trying to save a wounded comrade under enemy fire—a sacrifice for which he received the Medal of Honor posthumously. Just a few steps away, a plaque reading “Latino Blood, American Hearts” highlights the memorial’s original purpose: to recognize the bravery and service of Latino-American recipients, while connecting their story to the wider legacy of all those honored on the wall.