War on Terror Memorial: A Work in Progress
This Memorial Day, a grateful nation pauses to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice — not just in past wars, but right now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At Fort Bragg, home of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, a granite column listing the names of paratroopers killed in the War on Terror has run out of space. Veterans and members of the surrounding Fayetteville, N.C. community have been raising private funds to add and maintain a granite wall for the additional names.
President Bush attended the dedication of the new wall during his visit to Fort Bragg on Thursday.
The event was closed to the media. But the Army allowed our camera on scene immediately after the president’s departure. Some soldiers and family members were still there, making charcoal rubbings of the names on the memorial.
“It’s hard to put more names on every few months when another brigade combat team goes out,” said SFC Rick Hinkle, who serves with the 82nd Airborne. “But this is the nature of our business. Paratroopers are put in harm’s way on a daily basis.”
Traditionally, war memorials are installed after the fighting ends. The Vietnam War memorial in Washington was dedicated in 1982 — years after that conflict ended. And the World War II memorial nearby opened in 2004 — more than half a century after the fact.
What makes the War on Terror different?
First, the duration. The Afghanistan side of the conflict has been going on since 2001.
“Some of our guys have been there four and five tours,” said retired paratrooper SMA Roger Vickers. “We’ve been fighting this war longer than World War II — a lot of our soldiers have. So, we want to honor them now.”
Another factor is rooted in the past.
Vietnam veterans, who remember the poor treatment they received when they returned to the U.S., are determined to prevent history from repeating itself when it comes to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have become some of the most vocal supporters of fast-tracking memorials, such as the one at Fort Bragg.
“I think we really have come a long way since Vietnam in recognizing returning veterans, whether you support the conflict or not,” Hinkle said.
Jonathan Serrie is an Atlanta-based correspondent for FNC. He was
stationed in Macedonia during Operation Allied Force and in Uzbekistan
during Operation Enduring Freedom. 
God Bless all those that have and are currently serving this beautiful nation! We’ll never forget!
As a disabled Vietnam era vet, I am all for memorials. But I would trade all of them for decent legislation geared to help former GIs. Since the post Civil War era, our veterans have had one promise after another which was made to them broken. Many veterans have had to fight for years in order to receive their just due. Many unfortunate vets never receive compensation for service connected disabilities. The military has dumped thousands of wounded GIs on the Veterans Administration (VA) rather than discharging them as disabled. These men and women have had to petition the VA for benefits, a process which can take months, or even sometimes years.
Vietnam era vets had to wait 10 years after the end of the war for the VA to recognize disability from Agent Orange. Submarine veterans had to fight for years to receive compensation for lung disease due to asbestos poisoning–the VA delayed it with the hope that most would die before the legislation would take effect. Many did.
If the American people really care about veterans, they will petition their legislators to enact laws to help them. They will create laws which allows a disabled militaty retiree to receive his well earned pension without having to have it reduced dollar for dollar when receiving VA disablity. There are just too many injustices to mention here–though I am tempted.
Lets continue to build memorials. But never forget the persons to whom we are building them. Lip service just doesn’t cut it anymore! Let the government put its money where its mouth is.