District Mayor Vincent Gray and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Norton will oppose the effort to rededicate the D.C. War Memorial as a national World War I memorial at a press conference Monday.
The memorial was built in 1931 to commemorate the more than 26,000 District residents who served in World War I, in particular the 499 individuals who were killed. The names of the 499 deceased are engraved on the memorial.
However, a proposed House resolution would rededicate the memorial as a national memorial. The House Committee on National Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will hold a hearing on the resolution Tuesday at 10 a.m.
“A national memorial dedicated to all Americans who served in World War I should be located in the nation’s capital, and I would be happy to join any congressional effort for a World War I memorial,” Norton said. “However, it would be wrong to commandeer the District of Columbia’s memorial, paid for with the blood and treasure of D.C. residents.”
Monday’s press event will be at 1 p.m. in 2247 Rayburn House Office Building. In addition to Gray and Norton, the event will be attended by D.C. Office of Veterans Affairs Director Matthew Cary and other D.C. veterans.
