Why do we need a Memorial like this in Washington?
Why hasn't there been one before now?
Who supports the Memorial?
Which Veterans Service Organizations support/endorse the Memorial?
Shouldn't the government/DoD support this effort if they care about our disabled soldiers? Will there be any federal money spent on the Memorial? If so, how much?
How much will it cost? Why is the price so high?
Is the funding secured? When will it be?
Are there any in-kind donations?
Isn't it better to spend this money on those disabled soldiers returning from Iraq to help them, and their families, rehabilitate their lives?
When will the Memorial be built? When will the Memorial be dedicated?
Where will the Memorial be built? Is the site secured?
How will you prepare the Memorial site? Will you have to move roads?
What will the Memorial look like? What is the design? Who is designing it? What materials will be used?
Who will care for the Memorial in perpetuity? Will any taxpayer money be involved?
 

Why do we need a Memorial like this in Washington?
• The nation’s capital is the obvious location for an appropriate national tribute to America’s disabled veterans, and it is long overdue
• There are over 3 million living disabled veterans, with the number growing daily
• The nation’s capital is a top tourist draw, especially for patriotic citizens
• The Memorial site is within sight of the US Capitol, so members of Congress can be continually reminded of the human cost of war and the need to support America’s veterans
• The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial is the only military-themed Memorial not defined by service branch, military unit or specific war.

Why hasn't there been one before now?
• No one has thought it important enough to take on the task of raising money, working through the political steps to make the project happen, and communicate its importance to the American public
• It’s a daunting process (see enclosed “Steps for Establishing a Memorial in the Nation’s Capital”)

Who supports the Memorial?
• Actor Gary Sinise
• H. Ross Perot, Sr.
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
• AT&T
• Over one million citizen donors
• Local community grassroots groups
• U.S. Congress
• Ford Motor Company Fund
• Fifth Third Foundation
• The State of Maryland ($500,000 bond bill was passed)
• FedEx
• ConocoPhilips
• Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation
• Leaders in Furthering Education (LIFE)
• Peter Peterson
• Colin Powell
• State of Iowa
• GEICO
• Freeport McMoRan
• Joe Robert
• Bob Pence
• DavCo Restaurants


Which Veterans Service Organizations support/endorse the Memorial?
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
• American Veterans (AMVETS)
• Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH)
• Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)
• The Independent Budget (including AMVETS, DAV, VFW and Paralyzed Veterans of America)
• Catholic War Veterans
• Air Force Association
• National Amputation Foundation

Shouldn't the government/DoD support this effort if they care about our disabled soldiers? Will there be any federal money spent on the Memorial? If so, how much?
• Authorizing legislation forbids any federal funding.
• We have continuing supportive relationships and have participated in events with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, but receive no financial support from them.

How much will it cost? Why is the price so high?
• Because the Memorial will be a National Monument on federal lands, the entire project is subject to the United States Commemorative Works Act, requiring the approvals of the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts (CFA), National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), National Park Service (NPS) and other regulatory Agencies and Departments. In addition to the rigorous approval process, significant costs were required in the legislative process, site selection, design competition and other related initiatives.
• Through March 2009, our efforts have secured private donations, pledges and commitments in excess of $76 million - approximately 89% of the total projected costs of $86 million. The total project costs will be affected by final design elements, redirection of surface streets and curbing requirements, approval delays that escalate costs and prevailing labor & material costs at the time construction commences. Other costs including administrative, public awareness and fundraising are directly related to the project tenure. In addition, 10% of the cost of construction is required to be funded to the National Park Service.
• The final design concept was approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors in February 2008. Formal hearings were conducted by CFA and NCPC in July and September 2008; a site visit, with full-scale mock-ups of the design elements occurred in March 2009 and additional hearings are scheduled over the next 6 months.
• American disabled veterans have paid an extremely high price to defend our freedoms and way of life. They richly deserve a fitting Memorial, which will be funded entirely by private contributions and no federal funds.

Is the funding secured? When will it be?
• The Foundation has received overwhelming support from the American public - individuals, corporations, foundations, state legislatures and especially the disabled veteran community. 2008 was a momentous year with more than $10 million in funding restricted to construction costs.
• Since 1998, gifts have been received by more than 1,058,000 individual donors.

Are there any in-kind donations?
• Yes. Wherever possible, the Foundation accepts in-kind donations of services and support for its operations. When the final design is approved, elements are confirmed and construction commences, in-kind donations will be accepted to reduce total direct costs.

Isn't it better to spend this money on those disabled soldiers returning from Iraq to help them, and their families, rehabilitate their lives?
• Disabled veterans themselves feel the Memorial is long overdue and a much needed part of the healing process for them. The Memorial not only serves to honor, heal, and bring unity to disabled veterans in all five branches of the service, but it also serves to educate the public and remind our lawmakers about ongoing issues concerning disabled veterans. Once the wars end and the press coverage ceases, we want to make sure that the American public does not forget its disabled veterans.
• The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have been tasked and funded by Congress and the American people to care for the nation’s military community, especially its wounded and disabled veterans and their families.
• This money is being raised specifically to build a Memorial for disabled veterans, and any use other than that stated purpose would be fraudulent.
• If donors feel that more money should be spent on caring for disabled veterans and their families (and we agree with that), they should let their elected representatives know of their concerns.

When will the Memorial be built? When will the Memorial be dedicated?
• Once the land transfer is complete and the final design is approved, a construction schedule will be approved by the Foundation’s board of directors.
• The approval process requires 24 levels of approval. The Foundation has completed 16 of those, and steps 17 and 18 are in process.
• The current timetable anticipates dedication on November 11, 2011.

Where will the Memorial be built? Is the site secured?
• The approved site was land under the control of the District of Columbia. Companion bills HR 3699 and S 1838 in the House and Senate provided for the transfer of the land for the Memorial to the Interior Department under the control of the National Park Service.
• The site was officially transferred to the Interior Department in 2006.

How will you prepare the Memorial site? Will you have to move roads?
• Negotiations are currently underway with the Speaker’s office, DC Dept of Transportation, the Architect of the Capitol and the National Park Service to determine responsibilities for adjustments in roads and curbing as a result of the specifications in the land transfer bills.

What will the Memorial look like? What is the design? Who is designing it? What materials will be used?
• In August 2001 a site adjacent to the National Mall was selected and approved by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
• In July 2003, Michael Vergason Landscape Architects of Alexandria, VA, whose work has included many well-known public sites, was selected as the architect for the Memorial following a national design competition (www.vergason.net).
• In 2004, the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission approved an initial Memorial design concept.
• The Memorial’s close proximity to the Capitol dome, a mere 1,000 feet away, will provide a key focal point, reminding visitors and legislators alike of the link between freedom’s defense and its human toll.
• The Memorial’s central feature will be a star-shaped reflecting pool, its surface broken by a single eternal flame. A grove of gingko trees, universal symbols of peace, will stand sentry beside the pool, signifying the persistence of hope. The whole will be framed on two sides by glass and marble wall, representing both the strength and fragility of the human spirit.
• Each glass wall will be punctuated by a series of figurative bronze reliefs, inviting visitors to touch and explore their surfaces. In consideration of the range of disabilities sustained by veterans, the design team has made every effort to engage the senses as broadly as possible. We also envision the Memorial as a sensory tool for teaching young people about the history and complexities off our nation’s quest for freedom.
• Visitors entering the northwestern corner of the site will find themselves in a broad plaza, the star-shaped basin with its eternal flame to their left and the Capitol dome beyond reflected in water.
• The soothing flow of the fountain (which will run year-round) and the breeze in the gingko leaves will evoke a sense of peace. The typical visitor will see the fountain and fire first, then walk along the reflecting pool deeper into the grove to the glass walls, etched with quotes from veterans, families, caregivers, literary figures and others.
• These walls will feature four bronze bas-reliefs by sculptor Larry Kirkland, commemorating the veterans’ journey through loss, transformation and, for many, transcendence. At night the eternal flame will draw the attention of passers-by and the glass walls, softly lit from below, will enhance the meditative ambiance of ephemerality.
• Each 9’ x 4’ panel will consist of five laminate layers, the inner ones etched so that quotes of varying size will appear to float at different depths, their legibility dependant on the viewer’s distance from the surface.
• The subtly opalescent glass will also vary in tint as the visitor progresses down its length. One wall’s text will emphasize veterans’ personal experience and the other public expressions of gratitude.
• Although final edits remain, the design team has narrowed its selection from 500 quotes collected by History Associates, Inc., historical research specialists in military archival material. Quotes reflect the full range of conflicts and the diversity of veteran experience. Sources range from public documents like the Gettysburg Address, military Oath of Service, and Declaration of Independence to intensely event-specific recollections of veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present conflict in Iraq. Themes of freedom, the call to duty, challenges of healing, and renewed discovery of purpose recur throughout.
• The four frameless glass walls project cleanly from the ground. Lamination will ensure that the outer surface remains smooth and easy to maintain by the National Park Service, the monument’s ultimate caretakers.
• Although this particular construction technique will be unique, a trio of similar panels was erected at the Marsh McClennan September 11th Memorial in New York City. We plan to contract with that project’s glass fabricator, Depp Glass, also of New York, who boasts over a century of custom glasswork with architects and artists.
• The visitor’s experience of the quotes will be visually underscored by at least four 6’ x 9’ bronze reliefs. These powerful images will appear at intervals in the wall, enhancing nearby quotes. The human body is the subject of each sculpture, timeless and specific. Each is carved in inverse relief creating the human form out of space, not mass. The sculptures evoke many things: the memory of the moment, the memory of the complete human, and the challenge of a life with physical and mental loss.
• For the living disabled veteran they give timeless form to their experience. Maquettes erected by sculptor Larry Kirkland (www.larrykirkland.com) for preliminary review by the Commission of Fine Arts and a group of veterans elicited strong approval. One veteran told the Commission that his fellow veterans said to him, “That’s me. That’s my story and the story of most of my peer group.” Kirkland was directly inspired by History Associates’ research, in particular, soldiers’ reminiscences of the moment of wounding, which occurred all too frequently at the peak of youth and health, altering their lives forever.
• The casting process will be carried out by the Walla Walla Foundry in Washington State, a highly regarded foundry that has produced work by many of our greatest sculptors. Human models selected for the reliefs will be scanned via a digital animation process, enabling Kirkland to experiment with a wide variety of composition options.
• The design process has been a highly inclusive dialogue thus far and we plan to continue engaging disabled veterans in the design of their Memorial.
• For renderings, click here. 

Who will care for the Memorial in perpetuity? Will any taxpayer money be involved?
• At its dedication, the Memorial will be transferred to the National Park Service.
• 10% of the cost of constructing the Memorial will also be transferred at that time to the National Park Service for the perpetual care of the Memorial.
• Current plans are for the Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Foundation to be dissolved after this transfer takes place.