WASHINGTON -- Supporters of a new national World War I memorial have raised about $6.5 million but will need to raise tens of millions of dollars more, the monument's backers said Wednesday.
The goal is to break ground on Valentine's Day and to formally dedicate the memorial on Nov. 11, 2018 -- the 100th anniversary of the day the fighting ceased.
Fayetteville native Joseph Weishaar was selected as the designer, winning an international competition, but there are plenty of financial and regulatory hurdles that must be cleared before the work proceeds.
At a news conference, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey called on Americans to rally behind the effort. Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vinton Cerf also urged people to give.
Wednesday's gathering, at the National Press Club, was organized by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. The four public figures who spoke are new members of the commission's advisory boards and have agreed to help promote the undertaking.
Panetta, a former congressman, Cabinet member and White House chief of staff, told the audience he's pleased with Weishaar's preliminary design.
"I guess I'm a traditionalist. I'm not into touchy-feely stuff, and this is a traditional memorial that displays, in a simple way, the message about World War I in a place that I think is actually very unique," he said.
The memorial is to be built along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue, sandwiched between 14th and 15th streets.
A park honoring World War I Gen. John Pershing now occupies the site.
"I know most of our memorials are over there in the Mall, but it would be nice to have this kind of memorial in downtown Washington," Panetta said.
The location, he noted, is just down the street from the White House in a spot that people typically pass when they drive from the executive mansion to the U.S. Capitol.
"Having that memorial there, I think, it's a very appropriate place to be able to remind those elected leaders who go back and forth on Pennsylvania [Avenue] what can happen if they aren't willing to make the sacrifices and take the risks associated with leadership," he said.
Weishaar's initial proposal, titled "The Weight of Sacrifice," includes a redesigned park with maple trees and an 81-foot-long bronze, bas-relief sculpture. It will be attached to two bronze walls that will be inscribed with quotes about the Great War. A statue titled The Wheels of Humanity also is planned.
McCaffrey, the retired four-star general, said World War I is worth remembering, in part, because it was a catastrophe that could have been averted.
"There may never have been a more tragic, devastating conflict in the history of mankind that was unnecessary and which had such huge consequences that continue to this day," he said.
Advocates have said the project could end up costing $40 million or more. The law authorizing the memorial requires that the funding come from private sources.
The Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago donated $2.5 million initially and has also given a $2.5 million matching grant designed to encourage other contributors to come forward.
Once known as the Great War or "the war to end all wars," the conflict claimed an estimated 16 million lives, including 116,000 Americans.
Mosely Braun, also a former Clinton-era ambassador to New Zealand, said it's important to remember and teach future generations about the war.
"Everything changed, the world changed after World War I or because of World War I," she said. "The role and status of women [changed]. It was the beginning of the civil-rights movement. It was the beginning of the breaking down of old empires and the creation of new nations."
Metro on 05/19/2016