KANSAS
CITY, Mo. – The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
United States (VFW) proudly donated $100,000 today toward the construction of the
National Desert Storm War Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The
donation marks the first payment of the VFW’s pledged $500,000 to help build
the memorial. It also makes the VFW the first major veterans service
organization to financially back the project.
"On
behalf of our organization and more than 600,000 veterans of Operations Desert
Shield and Storm, I want to thank the VFW for this generous donation. This
funding comes at a crucial point in our mission. We appreciate the VFW’s help
and for taking the lead in this important endeavor," said Scott Stump,
president and CEO of the National Desert Storm War Memorial.
With
the 25th anniversary of Desert Shield already here and Desert Storm rapidly
approaching, project organizers have an aggressive sense of urgency, and they
refuse to consider the construction of the memorial as a long-term project. The
VFW’s generosity helps put the memorial’s total budgetary goal and the 2018
construction completion date within reach.
“The
VFW is proud to support this project. Freeing Kuwait was an overwhelming
victory that was a direct result of the superior training, equipment and
dedication of America’s service members. We owe them our gratitude, and this
memorial will help ensure the memory of their commitment and sacrifice
endures,” said VFW National Commander John A. Biedrzycki Jr.
The
memorial’s design was created based on feedback from hundreds of Desert Shield
and Storm veterans and their family members. The proposed design features an
elegantly curved, massive limestone wall that surrounds an inner memorial
space.
Created
to provide a meaningful and deeply moving sequential experience for visitors,
the memorial will serve to educate visitors of the events of the war; showcase
the united multination coalition; memorialize the names of the more than 300
American men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice; and leave visitors with
an enduring memory of the historical significance and moral accomplishments of
the war.
To
find out more about the Desert Storm Veterans War Memorial or to show your
financial support, visit http://www.nationaldesertstormwarmemorial.org/.