The back of the WWI monument honors the veterans of the Spanish American War. It contains the deck plate from the battleship USS Indiana (BB1) which was pierced by an 8 inch mortar shell during the battle of Santiago de Cuba, on July 4, 1898. It is believed that Edinburgh native George Wells, a master gunner on the ship helped to bring this piece of history to Edinburgh after the ship was decommissioned in 1919.