Bocas del Toro, Panama
Plaza of Honor
A permanent, oceanside memorial flag plaza planned for the Convergence Veterans Retreat — future home of American Legion Post PC-01, Bocas del Toro, Panamá.
Nine flagpoles in an honor arc, a paver field of engraved sponsor bricks that funds the site, a brick-lined walkway approach, and twelve pillars carrying bronze plaques for founding donors.
Conceptual rendering from the Flag Plaza donor packet — the Plaza of Honor has not been built yet. This shows the plan.
The Vision
Convergence Veterans Retreat and Wellness Center is being built on the Caribbean coast of Panama — a place where those who have carried the weight of service, loss, and trauma can come to rest, heal, and be seen. The Plaza of Honor is planned as the first landmark visitors will see when they arrive: a permanent, dignified space that honors the nations that host and support us, the service members who defend them, and the loved ones remembered by name.
The Plaza of Honor is designed to be lived with, not just looked at. Ceremonies of arrival and departure, moments of silence, retreat opening and closing rituals, Veteran memorial services, and daily raising and lowering of the colors will all take place here once it's built.
This land is also the future home of American Legion Post PC-01, Bocas del Toro, Panamá — a historic post originally chartered in 1929, recently transferred from Panama City to Bocas, and today the only active American Legion post on the entire Caribbean coast. The Plaza of Honor will serve as the ceremonial ground for both Convergence and the Post, giving Panama-based US Veterans a permanent place to gather, remember, and be recognized.
Why Here. Why Now.
Bocas del Toro is a place of extraordinary natural beauty and, for many of the Veterans and trauma survivors Convergence serves, a place where the nervous system finally begins to soften. The ocean, the quiet, and the distance from the noise of everyday life do the first part of the work; skilled therapists, trained peers, and a stable land base do the rest.
The Plaza of Honor is more than architecture. It will mark this land as one that honors service, remembers the fallen, and welcomes those who are still finding their way back. As the new home of American Legion Post PC-01 — chartered in 1929, recently transferred here from Panama City, and the only active Legion post on the entire Caribbean coast — it anchors nearly a century of US Veterans presence in Panama on this ground. It will give visiting families a place to grieve out loud, and give sponsors a permanent stake in the healing that happens on the ground beyond it.
What Each Flag Stands For
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Panama center, tallest
Panama flies in the position of highest honor on Panamanian soil per Ley 34 de 1949. As guests of Panama, this is not symbolic deference — it is required protocol, and it is right.
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United States flanking, tall
The nation of origin for the majority of Convergence staff, guests, and Veterans served. Flown with the fixed illumination required under 4 U.S.C. § 6 for continuous display.
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POW/MIA flanking, tall
Displayed adjacent to the United States flag as directed by 36 U.S.C. § 902. Our promise, made in the language of the flag itself: you are not forgotten.
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Army · Marines · Navy · Air Force · Space Force · Coast Guard outer arc
The six armed services of the United States, arranged in the DoD order of precedence. Each service is honored equally in the arc.
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Convergence courtesy pole
The Convergence organization flag flies on its own shorter courtesy pole, set to one side of the memorial plaza. Private organizations don't share the honor row with nations and armed services — but our flag stands close by, welcoming every visitor onto the land.
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American Legion courtesy pole
The American Legion flag flies on a matching courtesy pole, opposite the Convergence pole, marking this location as the future home of American Legion Post PC-01, Bocas del Toro, Panamá. The two courtesy flags frame the memorial arc without displacing the nations or armed services.
Layout & Dimensions
The Plaza of Honor is planned as a circular paver terrace approximately 60 feet across, oriented so the flags read against the Caribbean horizon and the Panama flag is visible from the primary approach road. A 5-foot-wide, 50-foot-long brick-paved walkway will lead visitors directly to the Plaza of Honor, lined on both sides with three paired plank owner pillars per side. Total site footprint including the Convergence courtesy pad, walkway, and pillar surround is approximately 75 feet wide by 115 feet long.
| Element | Dimension / spec | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza of Honor terrace | 60 ft diameter | Circular; drainage-graded concrete under engraved brick field |
| Center pole (Panama) | 35 ft | Tallest; position of honor per Panamanian law |
| Flanking poles (POW/MIA, US) | 30 ft | Immediately adjacent to center pole |
| Service poles (6 total) | 22 ft | DoD precedence: Army, USMC, Navy, USAF, Space Force, USCG |
| Convergence courtesy pole | 20 ft | Separate pad on one side of the plaza; shorter than plaza poles |
| American Legion courtesy pole | 20 ft | Matching pad opposite the Convergence pole; marks future home of Post PC-01 |
| Approach walkway | 5 ft wide × 50 ft long | Fully paved in engraved sponsor bricks; leads to the Plaza of Honor |
| Engraved sponsor bricks | 4×8 in and 8×8 in | Fill both the Plaza of Honor paver field and the walkway |
| Plank owner pillars | 12 pillars at 3 ft | Six around the plaza, six along the walkway; bronze plaques on cast stone |
| Central dedication plaque | Bronze, 18×12 in | Set at plaza center: “Plaza of Honor — Convergence Veterans Retreat” |
| Illumination | Solar spotlights, all poles | 24/7 lighting required for continuous US flag display |
Materials & Construction
- Poles. Marine-grade satin aluminum with 316 stainless steel hardware, sized for Caribbean salt-air exposure.
- Flags. Solution-dyed nylon at 200+ denier for UV and salt resistance; scheduled replacement every 6–9 months.
- Footings. Reinforced concrete to 5 ft depth per pole, engineered for coastal wind loads.
- Pavers. Engraved concrete or granite brick, laid over compacted base with drainage grade.
- Plaques. Cast bronze with dark oxide finish, mounted on cast-stone pillar faces.
- Lighting. Solar LED spotlights, one per pole, providing continuous nighttime illumination.
Ways to Give
The Plaza of Honor will be funded by its own community. Every level of gift is honored permanently — in bronze, in engraved stone, or in the dedicated raising of a specific flag. Gifts are structured so families, Veterans' groups, and individual supporters can all participate at a level that fits.
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$150
Bronze Brick
Engraved sponsor brick set into the Plaza of Honor paver field or approach walkway. Three lines of text, up to 20 characters each. Honor a loved one, a unit, or a family.
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$350
Silver Brick
Larger engraved brick, six lines of text with an optional service emblem. Placed in the inner paver ring near the central dedication plaque.
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$1,500/yr
Flag Sponsor
Underwrite the annual replacement, laundering, and ceremonial handling of one specific flag on the plaza. Recognized annually on the Convergence donor wall. Includes an introductory guest hosting stay at the retreat.
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$5,000
Bronze Patron
Sponsor the installation and 5-year maintenance of one pole in the Plaza of Honor. Named recognition on the pole footing plaque and in the plaza dedication booklet. Includes an extended guest hosting stay at the retreat.
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$10,000
Silver Patron
Underwrites one full segment of the honor arc — the three service poles on one side of the plaza, including installation, footing plaques, and 5-year maintenance. Named recognition on a shared bronze plaque at the segment. Includes a multi-day guest hosting stay at the retreat.
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$25,000
Gold Patron
Named recognition on the inner paver ring surrounding the central dedication plaque, plus a dedicated 8×8 legacy brick at the plaza center, permanent listing on the Convergence founders wall, and a full-week guest hosting stay at the retreat.
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$50,000
Platinum Patron
Founding-donor level. Bronze plaque on one of the twelve 3-ft pillars — six around the Plaza of Honor and six paired along the approach walkway. Permanent, prominent, one-time gift. Only twelve available. Includes an annual guest hosting stay at the retreat.
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$100,000
Diamond Patron / Cornerstone
Underwrites a full quadrant of the Plaza of Honor construction. Named recognition on the central dedication plaque and lifetime guest hosting privileges at the retreat.
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$250,000–$500,000
Founding Benefactor
Site-wide founding-level recognition across every Convergence landmark, including the Plaza of Honor. The Flag Plaza donor packet doesn't spell out a gift-specific perk at this level yet — contact us and we'll design the recognition with you.
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$1,000,000+
Legacy Founder
Convergence's top founding tier, site-wide. As with Founding Benefactor, the Flag Plaza donor packet doesn't yet define a gift-specific perk at this level — contact us and we'll design the recognition with you.
Every gift, at every level, is acknowledged with a certificate of dedication and an invitation to the plaza dedication ceremony once it's built. Gifts of $1,500 and above include ongoing recognition in the annual Convergence donor report and a limited guest hosting stay at the retreat, scaling with tier. Specific stay lengths, seasons, and booking terms will be finalized ahead of the retreat opening.
Find Your Brick
Once ground is broken on the Plaza of Honor, this space will show a real layout of the paver field and walkway so you can see exactly where your brick or plaque sits. Construction hasn't started yet, so there's no map to show you today — but we keep a running order list, and early sponsors get first choice of placement once the layout is set.
Get on the Brick ListThe Page of Honor
A digital mirror of the physical Flag Plaza — click any plaque for the full story.
Be the first name on this wall. No gifts have been recognized here yet — as real donations come in, they'll appear here automatically, each with its tier and dedication.
A printable digital certificate of honor is part of the plan for every gift, once the site's donation-tracking system is in place.
Be Part of the Plaza of Honor
Every brick, every pole, every plaque begins with one conversation. If you're reading this, that conversation has already started.
