The American Fallen Warriors Memorial Foundation is continuing its efforts to honor fallen U.S. soldiers and service members from the War on Terror.
More than 4,000 flags honoring those who died in the War on Terror were placed by AFWMF and volunteers on Thursday at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
It is the fourth year that the AFWMF has placed flags in Kansas City, Kansas. The organization is holding a similar ceremony on Friday afternoon in front of the Veterans Affairs (VA) building in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Michael Prevou, director of operations and a board member for the American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation, said there was a flag placed for every soul who was lost during the War on Terror. The organization wants to honor them permanently with a memorial building.
He said the foundation is getting ready to start its capital fundraising campaign on Sept. 11 of this year with a luncheon at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.
“That will kick off our project and we’re going to demonstrate what we call a virtual memorial capability,” he said.
It will be the organization’s first step toward creating the physical memorial, he added.
The foundation is proposing to put a national memorial to fallen warriors of the War on Terror in Kansas City, Kansas.
“We’re in negotiations right now with Kansas City, Kansas, and the Unified Government as to the specific location, but I can’t talk about any specifics yet,” he said. “It’s somewhere in the KCK area.”
He said they have looked at several sites and hope to have a specific site identified by the Sept. 11 banquet.
“We want to put it in a center where there’s a density of population and tourism that goes through there,” he said.
“Each flag represents one of the lost service members during the War on Terror,” Prevou said.
There are a lot of other activities, good events where flags are placed on graves, that are for everyone, but this organization is specifically for those who died in the War on Terror.
“Our focus is the War on Terror,” he said. “There is no national museum for the War on Terror, and memorial for that, and that’s what we want to build here in KCK.”
Prevou had some words of advice for people for the upcoming Memorial Day.
“Memorial Day is about remembering those who have given their lives, it’s more than barbecue and the first day of summer,” he said. “It’s a time to reflect and remember. Think about a loved one, go to the cemetery and plant a flag, just remember.”
Remember what it means to have service members willing to sacrifice their lives for a greater good, he added.
