The feb 14 edition of warrior connection was a discussion with scott

stump- project director-  about the national desert storm war memorial.  http://www.nationaldesertstormwarmemorial.orgThe National Desert Storm Veterans War MemorialThe

design illustrations shown on this website for the National Desert

Storm Veterans War Memorial are the result of a 20-month collaborative

effort between the National Desert Storm War Memorial Board of Directors

(NDSWMBD), numerous veterans of the war, CSO Architects, Inc., Context

Landscape Architecture, and other citizen contributors who were affected

by the war. During the process, the NDSWMBD and the Design Team (CSO

Context) sought a great deal of input from many stakeholders and

from many veterans of the war.  After months of research, surveys,

contemplation and Board review sessions, the design team incorporated

the Board’s and veterans’ heartfelt thoughts and suggestions directly

into the memorial’s design in an effort to create a fitting, meaningful

and memorable memorial experience for visitors and for those most

affected by the war.The Desert Storm War Veterans’ SurveyAt

the outset of the process, a survey was distributed to all Desert Storm

veterans in the Board’s database. The survey was also posted on the

Nationaldesertstormwarmemorial.org website in order to give an

opportunity for all interested veterans to contribute their thoughts and

suggestions. As many veteran opinions as possible were sought. The

survey asked veterans the following 5 questions:What do you believe was the most historically significant or important accomplishment of the Desert Storm War?What do you believe should be remembered or memorialized for our descendants about this conflict for posterity?What do you believe a National Desert Storm Memorial should look like?What do you believe a National Desert Storm Memorial should symbolize?Please share any other thoughts, stories, letters, photos or artifacts that you wish.All

of the survey responses were tabulated into a Summary Report and then

studied carefully by the National Desert Storm War Memorial Board of

Directors and by the Design Team. The following (6) ideas were found to

be recurring themes that were repeatedly expressed by the surveyed

veterans as important and which should be reflected somehow in the

memorial’s design:The historical significance of so many

nations of the free world coming together for a common cause should be a

focus of the memorial. The war effort was not a unilateral US effort,

but rather a multinational coalition of 34 nations. It was suggested

that the design might include a “roll call of nations” or 34 symbolic

pillars.The memorial’s design should somehow reflect or

recreate the desert environment where the war was fought. It might

include a rippling sandstone wall or sand dune-like element.All

of the names of the fallen should be engraved into the memorial. A gold

star might be incorporated for each life that was lost.The memorial should include a lifelike statue of soldiers wearing protective masks and chemical warfare protective gear.The memorial’s design should illustrate the “Left Hook” maneuver that was used to flank the Iraqi forces.Bronzes of the campaign ribbons might be incorporated.The DesignThe

goal of the memorial’s design is to create an educational, meaningful

and deeply moving sequential experience for visitors that: 1) educates

them about the historical events of the war; 2) identifies each of the

coalition countries and illustrates the historical significance of the

34-nation coalition that was united to liberate Kuwait; 3) memorializes

all the names of those Americans who sacrificed their lives in the war;

4) reflects the unique environmental and battle conditions experienced

by our servicemen and women in this war; 5) leaves visitors with an

enduring memory of the historical significance and moral accomplishments

of the Desert Storm War.Toward this end, the N