Des Moines, Iowa — Republican Senator Joni Ernst says the proposed Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C. should be built in a place of prominence, near the iconic memorials on the National Mall honoring soldiers from Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
Ernst is urging senators to override a 2003 federal law that prevents new memorials from being built in an area of the National Mall known as The Reserve.
In 2017, congress passed bipartisan legislation creating a Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation to begin planning for construction. Monday night, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on Ernst’s proposal to require construction on the National Mall. Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, says erecting a memorial in DC to honor soldiers who’ve served since 9/11 is a high priority, but Manchin says a law passed in 2003 prevents it from being located in “The Reserve” where 17 other memorials, monuments, and museums are located.
Manchin says the Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial to honor soldiers who fought in the first Gulf War will be built in a high profile area near the Lincoln Memorial, but not in the area of the mall that’s been designated as The Reserve.
