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Florida home to nation's first underwater dive memorial to veterans

Orlando Sentinel - 8/6/2019

Aug. 6--Now all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces are at home underwater at a dive site off the coast of Clearwater.

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard are represented with 12 concrete statues surrounding a memorial with five bronze emblems under 40 feet of water about 10 miles west of Pinellas County.

Called Circle of Heroes, the site that has been in the works for more than 10 years had a dedication ceremony Monday. The statues show men and women in service to the country in various poses in a 100-foot circle surrounding the pentagon-shaped monument at the center.

The nonprofit group Brighter Future Florida has been raising money for the statues, and plans on adding another 12 to site known as Veteran's Reef.

"The Circle of Heroes will be a premier international diving destination and will also serve as a place where veterans with physical and mental injuries can heal," reads a statement on nonprofit's website.

The dedication was followed by the first official dive of the site, attended by area veterans. The 12 statues grounded by 2,000-pound weights were lowered into the site last month.

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