The Clovis Veterans Memorial District (CVMD) unveiled a new logo during its Celebration of Heritage event on Thursday, Jan. 10. Veterans, community leaders and residents came together to witness the unveiling and learn about the meaning of the new logo.
The first element of the new brand is the shield, which represents defense.
“In this crest, we honor our veterans and their service of defense to our nation as well as our mission to promote a legacy of service for preserving our community and country’s foundational ideals,” CVMD CEO Lorenzo Rios said. “We seek to protect the value of our community as we move into the future.”
The next element of the logo is the laurel wreath, which is used to represent victory and honor.
In context of the new logo, Rios said the laurel wreath represents a commitment to honor the tradition of service to the community, as well as honoring past and present service members and their dedication to the nation.
Rios said the laurel at the base of the logo symbolizes the honoring of veterans, serving as the foundation of the district’s ideals and the basis upon which it was originally founded.
“We never forget that honoring our veterans starts with never forgetting their sacrifice and fulfilling our inherent duty to do our civic duty to make our community and our nation is the greatest nation to live, because in doing so we make their sacrifice matter,” Rios said.
The logo also includes a bald eagle, representing freedom.
“The bald eagle represents freedom, living as it does on the tops of lofty mountains amid the solitary grandeur of nature,” Rios said. “It has unlimited freedom, whether with strong opinions that sweeps into the valleys below or upward into the boundless spaces beyond.”
Rios added that the eagle symbolizes the spirit of resilience and strength of the nation as well as the strength of the community, “unbound by any limitations to dream big and aspire to great heights of human potential.”
“The Eagle faces right, gazing forward with the watchful and stern eye to represent, not only the courage of our veterans and fellow Patriots who keep watch over the nation and our community, but also the grit of our nation and its citizens who never waver in the face of adversity,” Rios said.
The eagle is placed atop the symbols of the flag and crest to symbolize the courage and sacrifice veterans and service members are willing to make, Rios said.
Rios also cited President Ronald Reagan’s proclamation from 1986 to describe the meaning of the blue fields and stripes in the logo.
Rios said the blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice, white symbolizes pure intentions and high ideals, while red shows courage and readiness to sacrifice.
“The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired,” Rios said. “The stripes is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the Sun.”
The logo also includes a gold star, much like the star which is used as the official logo of Clovis.
“If you notice, they too put a gold star and in our partnership and relationship we too decided to put one gold star that represents our heroes who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom,” Rios said. “The colors gold symbolize courage, wisdom and loyalty. According to the Army Institute of Heraldry, the color gold as it relates to the military also represents achievement and honor.”