Reply #15: the vapid battle cry "We must get this built before the WWII Veterans die" [View All]

[diamond14]

read the article that started this thread...it was written by a WWII Veteran...and it will open your eyes to bush* big dupe: "we must get this built before the WWII Veterans die."

-snips- from the article posted at the beginning of this thread...


Since WWII there had been no demand by any Veteran units for yet another WWII Memorial anywhere. Most every town and village already had a small flower plot with a flag pole, or there was an old cannon on practically every County Court House lawn, with a roster of names. Those of us who returned were awarded a cash bonus by most states, and there was the G.I. Bill of Rights.

In Washington many years passed before the Marine and Navy Memorials were built; the Air Force is now building one; and approaching Arlington Cemetery there are Memorials to the Women, Seabees, Paratroopers, Tankers, etc.

"We must get this built before the WWII Veterans die," became their vapid battle cry. So, why did they wait 50 years? Because it was not their idea! It was a political accident, absolutely. But they are not building it for "Us". We were there. We were concerned about the public reaction 100 years hence. This Memorial in the very heart of our National Mall is a tragic indelible mistake. The original cost was to be only $56 million, but is now well over $170 million (but of course these folks thrive on cost overruns). They tried to keep the figures secret, which is their nature, but we knew it was public information, however it became necessary for us to obtain a court order to force them to make those figures public.

This costly, grotesque, improperly located intrusion, coupled with its geological problems, is a legacy we WWII Veterans do not want! Moreover, their 15 feet excavation, far below water table level, will necessitate a 24/7 sophisticated and costly hi-tech pumping system, discharging arsenic contaminated water into the Potomac.