[ SHOWGSD-L ] Memorial Approved for Nation's War Dogs!
- From: "Cyndy" <cyndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:38:11 -0500
From the Cape Cod Times ?
Memorial approved for nation's war dogs
By JAKE BERRY
STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2008 6:00 AM
The overturned, water-filled helmet that will one day front Washington,
D.C.'s newest war memorial may seem like an odd tribute. But there's no
better way to honor some of the country's fallen four-legged heroes,
according to Alan Driscoll of Wellfleet.
A Wellfleet resident and Vietnam veteran, Driscoll is part of the National
War Dogs Memorial Committee that is working to secure land for a memorial to
the 100,000 dogs who have served in the military since World War I.
President Bush approved the memorial in January as part of a defense
appropriations bill.
Project organizers are working with the Department of Defense to reserve an
acre of land at Fort Belvoir, Va., 20 miles south of the capital.
They're hoping to begin construction by 2010.
"We tried to get space on the (National) Mall, but they didn't seem to think
the Mall was a great place for a dog memorial," said Driscoll, who says he
survived the war in part because of his German shepherd Duchess, who helped
locate bombs and enemy soldiers.
"These dogs have done a lot for us and they don't get a lot of attention,"
he said. "Some of us thought it was time they did."
Driscoll has been lobbying for the memorial since 2000. But it wasn't until
this year when it really began to take shape. Driven in part by a joint
resolution from the Massachusetts Legislature, Congress passed legislation
in January proposing the monument, and the president signed it into law a
week later.
"It's nice to be able to remember these animals, which saved so many lives,"
said state Rep. Matthew Patrick, D-Falmouth, who sponsored the resolution.
The bronze monument will depict a Vietnam-era soldier and a German shepherd
crouching on a rock. Four benches will surround the statue and the
overturned helmet will serve as a water bowl for visiting dogs, Driscoll
said.
Project organizers are now planning a fundraising campaign to finance the
memorial, estimated to cost about $3 million, he said. To date they have
raised about $150,000.
"We have some people giving thousands of dollars," he said. "And then some
little guys have sent me $5 and told me that was their week's allowance. ...
A lot of people want to be a part of this."
Jake Berry can be reached at jberry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web link
For more information about the National War Dogs Memorial, go online to
www.nwdm.org.
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