SPRINGVALE — People from across the region are invited to the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Saturday, Sept. 24 to mark the dedication of a memorial to prisoners of war and those missing in action.

The memorial is a black and gray monolith depicting the POW-MIA symbol of comrades-in-arms surrounded by a semi-circle of 13 standing granite pillars with façade visuals of each conflict in American history, from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan. White marble tablets on each pillar provide historical data on the numbers of POW-MIA compiled by the Department of Defense.

The dedication is 11 a.m., rain or shine at the cemetery at 31 Stanley Road.

Funding for the memorial was provided by public and private donations to Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association, a nonprofit group staffed totally by volunteers. Their mission is to beautify the cemetery so that this hallowed ground will be a resting place of beauty and tranquility for loved ones to visit.

The association works with the State of Maine Bureau of Veterans Affairs, veteran organizations, city and town officials, local businesses, and the general public.