The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association announced in January that the dedication ceremony for the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial will be at 11 a.m. on Oct. 24.
Located at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue NW and 23rd Street in Washington, D.C., the memorial is dedicated to the approximately 700,000 Americans who served in the 1990-91 Gulf War.
An aerial photo of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial in Washington, D.C., shows the memorial’s location just steps from the Lincoln Memorial. Located at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue NW and 23rd Street, the memorial will be dedicated on Oct. 24.Among the aspects of the memorial are:
- Telling the story of what happened during the war;
- Identifying each of the 34 coalition countries that united with the United States to liberate the people of Kuwait;
- Reflecting the unique environmental and battle conditions servicemen and women experienced; and
- Leaving visitors to the memorial with an enduring memory of the historical significance and accomplishments of Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
Scott Stump, president and CEO of the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, said that while it is important to remember the fallen, the memorial will not be a place of mourning, but one of celebration.
“The efforts and achievements of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield will be remembered and celebrated through the memorial,” said Stump, a Life member of VFW Post 748 in Knox, Indiana. “We are humbled and honored to be entrusted with this mission, while at the same time conscious of the tremendous responsibility we bear.”
Stump credits the VFW with “stepping up when no one else would at that level.” VFW has contributed more than half a million dollars to the memorial.
For more information on the memorial, visit https://www.ndswm.org.
RAMADI MEMORIAL DEDICATED
The names of 94 service members who were killed in Iraq as part of the Second Battle of Ramadi are permanently etched at Fort Bliss in Texas.
The Ramadi Memorial was dedicated in January. Some 1,200 veterans were in attendance for their reunion, which was the same weekend as the dedication.
“Thanks to each of you who shared the battleground with us, and each of you who remembers the turmoil, the triumphs and the tragedies,” retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jocko Willink said during the dedication ceremony.
Willink led a team of Navy SEALs during the battle in 2006.
The memorial plaque with the names is one of several honoring operations in the Global War on Terror. All plaques are mounted on a wall of a Fort Bliss building.
One of the groups who rallied for the plaque was America’s Mighty Warriors, founded by Gold Star mother Debbie Lee. Her son, Marc, a Navy SEAL, was killed in the battle on Aug. 2, 2006.
WISCONSIN MEMORIAL PARK HONORS ALL VETERANS
Located four miles west of Neillsville, Wisconsin, is the 155-acre Highground Veterans Memorial Park.
Beginning as the Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial Project in 1984, today The Highground boasts a museum, a gift shop, pavilions, picnic areas and four miles of hiking trails. Free to the public and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, it holds the title of the largest manned veterans park in the U.S.
The main plaza is lined with hundreds of granite Legacy Honor Stones that families or groups have purchased in honor of loved ones. Stones purchased help support The Highground’s mission to “honor, educate and heal.” There are even honor stones in the Military Working Dog Tribute area.
When the memorial park was first dreamed up by Vietnam veteran Tom Miller, area VFW Posts assisted in fundraising endeavors, including bike-a-thons. Miller said during those events, VFW Posts and
members along the route offered respite to the cyclists. In some cases, VFW even provided a place to sleep for the night.
According to The Highground Donations/Stone Coordinator Bonnie Pettis, several VFW Posts continue supporting the memorial park today. Furthermore, VFW Department of Wisconsin Commander Ty Letto’s special project for his year is Campfire for Courage. It benefits PTSD retreats at The Highground for veterans and their families. Letto’s goal is to raise funds for 200 veterans. One veteran or spouse can attend a retreat for $500.
Letto has partnered with the Department of Wisconsin VFW Auxiliary President Kim McWilliams, who also has Campfire for Courage asher special project.
For more information on The Highground, visit https://www.thehighground.us.
This article is featured in the 2025 May/June issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.