In 1993, Lieutenant General Robert Springer, U.S. Air Force (Ret), approached Hillwood Chairman Ross Perot, Jr. about the development of an Air Force Memorial in Washington DC. From inception to completion, Hillwood served as the developer for the Air Force Memorial, leading site selection, design and construction.

A component of the Air Force Memorial in Washington DC is the Honor Guard Memorial designed by Zenos Frudakis. The USAF Honor Guard “.  .  . represents every member, past and present of the United States Air Force.”  There are displays at the Air Force Memorial in Washington DC and the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

In bringing the Honor Guard Memorial to AllianceTexas, Hillwood chose to develop Freedom Plaza as a tribute to not only the U.S. Air Force, but to all branches of the armed forces. The Honor Guard Memorial is featured within Freedom Plaza along with the Glass Contemplation Wall and the Wall of Values.

The Honor Guard Memorial at Freedom Plaza was dedicated on Friday, October 23, 2009 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. To visit Freedom Plaza, exit Alliance Boulevard from Interstate 35W and travel west. The Memorial is located at the western base of the Alliance Air Traffic Control Tower.