Walking down the pathway, passing by the 58,318 names engraved into the black granite wall of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial, made me think of the actual people that fought our wars. The men and women lost in Vietnam came from almost every town in America, from New Jersey to Minnesota to Texas to California, and beyond. Each has a name. A name that is forever ensconced onto the Memorial. Imagine the millions that entered that pathway passing by those names, for an instant, or for hours, reading the names and keeping the memory of those lost alive.
Moving down the pathways of the National Mall to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, you come across nineteen stainless steel figures. The figures seemingly move through the harsh Korean terrain emerging from National Mall's wood line. As you cast your gaze past the figures, you see actual photographs etched into the Memorial's wall, showing the faces of those that served our Nation decades ago. The faces of men and women that saw the harsh realities of war close up. The Memorial provides a glimpse into the war fought thousands of miles away.
A short way forward takes you to the National World War II Memorial. The seven acres of landscape and granite commemorates the battles of World War II and the massive mobilization of Americans to support the war effort here and abroad. The World War II memorial reminds us that at one time, our Nation came together, unified.
War Memorials teach. They teach us about the history of conflict, sacrifice, triumph, and loss. They teach us that our Nation's service members came from every walk of life, from every religion, from every town, from every economic class. Memorials keep their memory alive.
Our Nation's service members have deployed here and abroad for over twenty years since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). From Africa to the Middle East and beyond, our Nation has fought in the war against terror. This included my own overseas tour in the early 2000s. As I wrote in early 2020, the time for a GWOT memorial on the National Mall is now. Finally, we are one step closer to this becoming a reality.
In 2017, the government granted permission, in the form of legislation, for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial to be built and funded by a non-profit organization called the GWOT Memorial Foundation. Thelaw called for the Foundation to cover the cost of the Memorial and prohibited the federal government from paying for any of it. Essentially the only thing holding the Memorial back from being built now is further legislation to place it on the National Mall itself.
This can be done as an Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House of Representatives passed the version of the NDAA with the Amendment in September. Now it is in the Senate's hands to pass this version of the NDAA.
I reached out to the GWOT Memorial Foundation for comment. "We're so encouraged by the support for the Memorial in the House and the Senate, and for the incredible advocacy of our VSOs partners, volunteers, and friends," said U.S. Army veteran and GWOT Memorial Foundation President & CEO Marina Jackman. "We remain mission-focused. We believe that our Senators understand the unity and healing this Memorial will offer active-duty service members, veterans, and surviving families, and we sincerely hope that process doesn't prevent them from doing the right thing. Our GWOT service members and their families deserve to be honored alongside those who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. We encourage those who agree to reach out to their Senators and ask them to join our effort."
The time is certainly now for a GWOT Memorial. The non-profit GWOT Memorial Foundation is seemingly poised to move forward swiftly to fund and build the Memorial. They just need Senate to move forward with the House version of the NDAA. You can take further action by contacting your Senator and urging them to pass the current version of the NDAA.