After more than a decade of planning, fundraising and community support, Howard County’s Veterans and Military Families Monument is officially open. County leaders, veterans, military families and community members gathered at the Columbia lakefront Thursday to dedicate the monument. A long-awaited space designed to honor those who served, the families who supported them and those who never made it home. For Robert Gillette, president and board chair of the Howard County Veterans Foundation, the moment was emotional. #veterans #howardcounty #maryland #localnews #news