BATON ROUGE - On Tuesday, Louisiana dedicated a new monument and honored current members of the National Guard and the guardsmen who have been killed while serving their country.

"They run towards harm, not away from it, so it's important show them honor and pay homage to them," Maj. Gen. Glen Curtis said.

Hundreds of people turned out for the dedication of the new Minuteman Monument at Veteran's Memorial Park on the grounds of the State Capitol. The names of national guardsmen who have been killed in service are engraved on red bricks surrounding the monument.

Denise Godbolt saw her son's name at the statue for the first time during the ceremony. He was killed while serving Afghanistan.

"I'm just lost for words, because every time we have a ceremony, it opens up a wound you thought was closed, but today, this is a good opening and new beginning," Godbolt said.

The ceremony included flyovers by four F-15 fighter jets, and four Blackhawk helicopters.

By the end of the year, about 500 Louisiana National Guard troops will be serving in active duty at various locations around the world.