'This has to happen'

Plans to build the National Desert Storm War Memorial are moving forward after President Obama signed legislation in December authorizing federal land to be set aside for construction in Washington. Supporters can now seek private donations to cover the cost of the memorial, as the bill prohibits the use of federal funds. 

The American Legion passed a resolution supporting the proposed Desert Shield and Desert Storm veterans memorial at the 95th National Convention in Houston. Scott Stump, president of the memorial’s board of directors and a Desert Storm Marine Corps veteran, recently updated The American Legion Magazine on the project. 

Was anyone from your team present when the president signed the bill into law? 

No, and the simple reason is that this bill was part of the larger National Defense Authorization Act. If it had been a stand-alone bill, somebody would have been present. Unfortunately, this was kind of an unceremonious blanket signing. 

How difficult was it to get Congress’ approval? 

It passed the House 370-0. And in the Senate only one senator blocked it, because he wanted his bill attached to ours and we didn’t (do it), because his was controversial. We barely got this thing through the Senate during this last session, so it literally could have been another two years before we could have gotten this thing done. And that was unacceptable. 

How much support and help have you received from The American Legion?  

At the national convention in Charlotte, I introduced myself to the adjutant or the commander of 38 or 39 departments, basically asking them to reach out to senators to get support. Nebraska was very receptive. New Jersey, I think, was also very helpful; one of their senators, Bob Menendez, signed on as a co-sponsor in the 11th hour, and that was due to the Legion’s activity there. One who has been absolutely stellar is Billy Ray Foley, Louisiana’s department commander. He wrote letters; he has been very engaged. He was a Vietnam guy. He was really the spark plug for this thing. National Commander Mike Helm has been very supportive as well. 

Where do you stand in terms of fundraising? 

We are just in the process of kicking off the official fundraising campaign; we couldn’t when the legislation wasn’t passed. It’s going to be a real challenge. We need to have funds just to perform the basic functions of our board activities. We’ve exhausted pretty much all our funds through this legislative process. This has been a long, drawn-out battle. 

The little picture is to get some funds in the short term – some fuel to start the engine and get this thing rolling. The big picture has three areas of focus: the other 33 coalition countries, corporate America and individual donors. I think the individual donors are absolutely important, because we need to feel a sense of ownership and participation. It’s something that represents an important time period in our country’s history.

Have there been any changes to the memorial’s design? 

There are not any major changes. We anticipate that there will probably be some tweaks here and there – a lot of that is going to depend on the footprint, the actual physical piece of land we’re working with. But we’re hoping to really minimize that. The left-hook maneuver, and making sure we recognize the other 33 coalition countries, is something we feel we can’t compromise on.  

What has been the public response so far?  

There’s a lack of awareness that this is happening, even among veterans of that era. So that’s kind of been a challenge. We’ve had a tremendous amount of support in terms of people saying, “Yeah, this is a great idea, this has to happen.” We just hope that translates into backing this financially. 

There are 24 steps involved in creating a memorial in Washington; it is really daunting. We’re probably at 11 or 12 right now. I want to thank all the Legionnaires who have been behind this so far, those who are aware of it. And for those to whom this is news, we encourage them to get involved in any way, shape or form, whether by volunteering or spreading the word or donating.

Laura Edwards is associate editor of The American Legion Magazine.

Visit the National Desert Storm War Memorial website.