After six and a half years, the San Bernardino County’s official memorial to the 14 people killed in the 2015 San Bernardino terror attack is now open.
The Curtain of Courage memorial is located on the eastern side of the county Government Center at 385 N. Arrowhead Ave. in San Bernardino. With county offices closed Monday, June 20, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday, survivors of the December 2015 shooting and families of those who died gathered Friday for the memorial’s unveiling.
The $1.3 million memorial features curving mesh panels made of bronze and steel. The curtain is designed to evoke protective gear, with layers of chain meant to resemble a bulletproof vest, according to designer Walter Hood.
Curtain of Courage, a memorial for the December 2015 San Bernardino terror attack victims, opened to the public outside the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A rose sits a top the memorial for San Bernardino terror attack victim Sierra Simone Sunshine Clayborn, one of 14 killed in the Dec. 2, 2015 shooting, at the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A sign with the names of the 14 people killed in the December 2015 San Bernardino terror attack is seen near the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
San Bernardino terror attack victim Harry “Hal” Bowman is one of the 14 memorialized at the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial to victims of the Dec. 2, 2015 shooting opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
James Naley, from San Bernardino, visits the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial for the December 2015 San Bernardino terror attack opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
James Naley, from San Bernardino, visits the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial honoring victims of the December 2015 San Bernardino terror attack opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Marcie Summitt, from Yucaipa, takes a picture of the memorial honoring San Bernardino terror attack victim Daniel Kaufman, one 14 people killed in the Dec. 2, 2015 shooting, at the Curtain of Courage memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino Monday, June 20, 2022. The memorial opened to the public Monday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
On Dec. 2, 2015, Environmental Health Services employees were at an off-site training event at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino when an employee and his wife opened fire on them in a meeting room. Fourteen people were killed and 22 wounded. Both shooters were later killed in a gun battle with police.
A committee made up of county staff, survivors of the attack and family members selected Hood to craft the memorial. An internationally known landscape architect and designer, he also designed the Broad Museum Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.
The Curtain of Courage’s curves create 14 alcoves, one for each of those killed in the shooting. The alcoves have a panel of colored glass in a shade chosen by victims’ family members, and a phrase chosen by family members is inscribed on a bench in each alcove. Inside each bench, invisible to the public, is a small keepsake chosen by the family. A nearby informational plaque recounts the events of Dec. 2, 2015, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Another memorial to the victims of the attack — a peace garden — opened in 2016 at Cal State San Bernardino.
For more information, visit December2.sbcounty.gov.
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