In Poplarville, dozens of names are engraved into bricks honoring Pearl River County’s brave men and women who served their country.

The Veterans Memorial Brick Walkway is located on the Pearl River County Courthouse lawn and surrounds a monument dedicated to Civil War and World War I veterans.

The walkway is the result of a joint effort between the Poplarville Rotary Club and the Poplarville Area Chamber of Commerce, said Dr. Adam Breerwood, PRCC Vice President for the Poplarville Campus and Hancock Center. PRCC Director of Institutional Research Brenda Wells and Breerwood joined forces nearly two years ago to establish the walkway honoring local veterans. During that time, they were both actively involved with the Rotary Club and chamber.

“We wanted to do something that would impact Pearl River County as a whole and show that we’re really proud of our veterans in the area,” Breerwood said.

The project hit the ground running after the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors approved it, Breerwood said.

The construction of the 800 brick walkway was made possible through a partnership between Huey Stockstill, Inc., Pearl River Community College, the Rotary Club and the chamber.

While only around 100 bricks are engraved with veterans’ names, Breerwood said the project is only on its second phase.

“It’s required that we engrave 50 bricks at a time so when we get enough orders for the second phase we plan to do a ribbon cutting ceremony for the walkway,” Breerwood said.

With Memorial Day around the corner, local veterans have the opportunity to make their names immortal.

The form to submit names to be engraved for bricks for phase two can be found on the chamber’s website at http://www.poplarville.org. The order form and check for $75 can be mailed to the Poplarville Area Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 367 in Poplarville.

“The brick’s engraving is customizable so it all depends on what the veteran or their family wants to recognize on the brick,” Wells said.

Breerwood said they will expand the project later if they run out of bricks in order to accommodate every veteran.

“This is something we thought would be beneficial for our children and grandchildren so they can learn about the county’s history and honor those people in our county who served,” Breerwood said.