William R. Gaines Jr. Veteranʼs Memorial Park
20499 Edgewater Drive, Port Charlotte
Open sunrise to sunset
wrgainesjr.org
William Gaines Jr. was a United States Marine who was killed in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983
when he was 21. The bomb that killed him also killed 241 Marines, soldiers and sailors,
and was the largest loss of life for the U.S. Marines since the Battle of Iwo Jima. This park is
named for the young soldier who gave his life for his country, and for so many others who
died in that bomb blast.
The plan for this park has been in the works for a decade.
Previously called Sunrise Park, the county bought the land in
2000. The new entrance to the 40-acre park is at one of the
roundabouts off Edgewater. Work began on the memorial park
this year, and it is expected to be complete soon.
It was Gaines’ family members who had a vision of a memorial
for William. When it is fi nished there will be an observation
tower – named the Beirut Peacekeeper’s Tower – and a plaque
to tell the story of what happened that fateful day that Gaines
and so many others died, and the story of the Beirut mission in
general, from 1982 to 1984. The base of the tower will be 241
separate center rods, for each of the people killed in the blast.
There will also be two military-themed playgrounds at the park,
as well as tennis and bocce ball courts, and trails.
The Charlotte County Commission commemorated the opening of the park with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 22. Speakers included Gaines’ brother, Michael.
The amenities at the park were funded by the one percent local option sales tax approved
by voters in November, 2014.
For information on the park, visit CharlotteCountyFL.gov and click “Departments,” then
“Community Services.”
For information on the William R. Gaines Veteran Memorial Fund, visit wrgainesjr.org.
Maddie Perin of Port Charlotte
playing a built-in xylophone.
Some highlights of the
military-themed playground at
the William R. Gaines Park.
/wrgainesjr.org
/wrgainesjr.org
/CharlotteCountyFL.gov