Women pitch monument for military families

[unhappycamper]

Women pitch monument for military families
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Oct 24, 2007 6:21:23 EDT

bc-GNS-MEMORIAL 10-23

Congressional support is building for a monument near the National Mall honoring military families, the brainchild of two close friends — one a widow of a sailor killed in Iraq, the other a military wife.

Karie Darga, 33, the widow, and Nicole Alcorn, 34, met Tuesday with the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, among the first in a line of panels that must weigh in on their idea.

“Many monuments honor those who serve. But this picture is incomplete without recognizing those who are the heart and passion that sustains our military,” Darga of Norfolk, Va., told the commission.

There are 99 co-sponsors for a bill that would authorize a monument financed entirely by private contributions. The bill, by Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Va., was introduced in the House of Representatives in July.

Alcorn said she first thought of the memorial — “a crazy idea” — while she and Darga were leaving a memorial service for Darga’s husband, Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul Darga. He was a bomb disposal expert killed by a roadside explosion in Iraq last year.

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Darga and Alcorn have created a nonprofit organization and a Web site, www.militaryspousemonument.org. They estimate they will need to raise $30 million to $50 million. Their first major contribution was $10,000 from Patriot Guard motorcycle riders who help families during military funerals, Alcorn said.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/gns_familymemorial_071024/