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WASHINGTON D.C. (March 3, 2008) - Memorial in Oklahoma City will
honor servicemembers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom
while serving Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Military memorials … remind us of the great sacrifices that
have been made for this country and the world," said Jason Savage,
president of "Freedom Memorials," A nonprofit group dedicated to
planning and raising money for the memorial. "It's important to
honor those sacrifices today."
That's a tall order if the desired location is on National Park
Service land in the National Capital Region, Savage discovered.
"The Commemorative Works Act of 1986, which deals with land
areas administered by the National Park Service and the General
Services Administration, states in part, 'An event or individual
cannot be memorialized prior to the 25th anniversary of the event
or the death of the individual,'" Savage said.
For wars, that waiting period begins at the conclusion of the
fighting.
"Given those circumstances, we began a site search (and) were
presented with the wonderful opportunity to have his memorial
located adjacent to one of the nation's finest military museums,"
Savage said. "The parents, relatives, and friends of those lost
today should be able to visit (a memorial)."
The memorial will be located in Oklahoma City's Thunderbird
Park, which is next to the 45th Infantry Division Museum. It will
be the first of its kind, with photos of each fallen servicemember
and a personal tribute etched into black stainless steel, Savage
said.
"This memorial will bring a reality to this nation's losses like
no other, an everlasting history to these brave individuals, the
sacrifices that were made and the families who will never forget,"
he said.
Savage, who never served in the military himself, feels a strong
tie to the community. During World War II, his father served in the
Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to today's CIA. His
mother was a stenographer at the Nuremberg war crimes trials, and
he grew up in Charleston, S.C., when the Navy base there was in
full operation.
"Now I live close to Fort Bragg, N.C., and run road races on the
base with the soldiers," he said. "I have great respect for what
they are doing for our country, (and) I wanted to do something
special to honor them and the families of the fallen."
More information about and renderings of the National
Afghanistan and Iraq War Memorial are available on the Freedom
Memorials Web site.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals,
groups and organizations that are helping support the troops,
visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America
Supports You directly connects military members to the support of
the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their
quest to find meaningful ways to support the military
community.
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