It took almost 60 years for America to honor the 16 million Americans who served in World War II with a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It took 42 years to complete a national monument to those who served in Korea. Andrew Brennan, 31, is determined not to let that happen to the veterans who served – and still are serving – in the Global War on Terror. A former Army Blackhawk pilot who flew combat missions in Afghanistan, he is spearheading a campaign to build a national memorial to those who have served since Sept. 11 – even as Americans are still dying overseas.
“I don’t want the service members who fought in 2001 to never see their memorial,” Brennan says. “The WWII Memorial wasn’t dedicated until 59 years after the war. Sadly, many of them had passed already. You juxtapose that experience with the Vietnam generation that has experienced 30-plus years of group healing around their memorial. Seems to me that we have a valid model with the Vietnam experience … we should strive to rinse and repeat that.”
