FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Jerry Newberry
telephone: 816/968/1168
email: jnewberry@vfw.org

VA Unveils Plans for National Museum Honoring Veterans

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2001 — The Department of Veterans Affairs recently unveiled plans for a National Veterans Museum, which will be located at VA Headquarters in Washington D.C.

"Our nation's veterans have made tremendous contributions to our country and its history," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "This new museum will tell that story to generations of Americans, both born and not yet born."

The National Veterans Museum will tell a story of homecoming — the universal experience shared by all soldiers as they return to family, friends and community. Exhibits will discuss the impact on U.S. society of such events as the Bonus Army of 1932 and the GI Bill of 1944.

In remarks at the reception, attended by members of Congress and leaders of America's veterans service organizations, Principi said he hoped the new museum would be "world-class" in scope and design. He vowed to create an institution where veterans and their families can feel at home while in the nation's capital and where they can reconnect with old friends and comrades.

"This is a welcome addition in recognizing all veterans," said Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Commander-in-Chief James N. Goldsmith. "The focus on recognition has been on those who have served in an armed conflict. As a result, the importance of those who have served in peacetime have been somewhat overlooked."

Principi also plans to link the museum with the capital's other veterans memorials, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Women in Military Service to America Memorial and the World War II Memorial now under construction.

No timetable has been set for construction or completion of the museum.