28 March 2017
WASHINGTON – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has long been the inspiration for Andrew Brennan to establish a national memorial to honor the men and women who served in the ongoing Global War on Terror, which he envisions as a place for veterans to gather and remember their friends and for others to learn about the war’s costs.
“In the 35 years since the [Vietnam] Wall was dedicated, the Vietnam generation has seen healing related to that memorial,” said Brennan, a 32-year-old Afghanistan War veteran and former Army captain. “There’s camaraderie. That wall serves as a solid reminder to our citizenry of the cost of military action.”
Nearly 7,000 servicemembers have been killed in the Global War on Terror, which has lasted for 15 years. Roughly 2.8 million veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit organization.
To honor them, Brennan created the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundationand now has the help of Jan Scruggs, the man who conceived the idea for the Vietnam Wall and spent seven years struggling to get it built. They got a step closer to their goal Tuesday when Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced legislation to clear the way for a war memorial on the National Mall.
