The new Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial—which commemorates the US-led coalition that pushed Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991—will be dedicated in DC on October 24. The event is open to the public and will take place near the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street, NW, at 11 AM.
“My goal personally, and I think collectively, is to inspire the visitor to make an emotional connection, inspire them so that they can then subsequently learn about this conflict,” said Scott Stump, the president and CEO of the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association.
Some 382 American military lost their lives in the conflict, and the memorial aims to honor those who served.
The design features smooth, curving walls, made from stone quarried in Brazil that’s reminiscent of desert sand. Perched along the wall, visitors can see sculptures of a bald eagle, America’s national symbol, and a falcon, Kuwait’s national bird, which were designed by veteran and sculptor Robert Eccleston. A 28-foot bronze “Unity Shield” emblazoned with the names of the coalition nations will feature cascading water – “a sculpture in its own right,” even when the water is cut off during colder months, Stump said.
At the dedication, attendees can expect to hear an original song performed by Kuwaiti singer Maryam Ali alongside a group of musicians from Nashville, said Stump, who plans to speak at the ceremony. Kuwait Defense Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah will also address the crowd.
The memorial has been in the making since 2010, just before the conflict’s 20th anniversary, when Stump, a Marine Corps Reserve veteran with active-duty service in eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain during the operations, started thinking of the idea. In 2014, Congress passed a bill allowing construction of a Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial and, eventually, the $43 million project secured its largest donation from the nation of Kuwait, with the remaining donations coming from individuals, companies, and organizations.
“We have created a brand new space on the National Mall and I think people are going to find it very welcoming,” Stump said. “We hope that people kind of hunker down for a while and they’re not in a hurry necessarily to leave when they visit.”
