|
|
|
|
News from the Caribbean as of
|
Military museum and memorial complex for USVI
Friday, October 13, 2006
by Melody Wiggins
Caribbean Net News St Croix Correspondent
Email: melody@caribbeannetnews.com
ST CROIX, USVI: St Croix will be the site for a US Virgin Islands Veterans Military Museum and Memorial Complex to honour the contributions of VI veterans, both living and deceased.
The multimillion dollar facility will include a clinic to provide medical treatment to veterans; a two-floor museum; life size statues and murals depicting battle scenes from WWII to the Afghanistan war and a theater showing historic battle films and interviews with VI soldiers.
Philip Masi, president of the Honourary Military Monument & Portrait Corporation (HMMP), a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit that creates memorial monuments and museums to honour veterans is one of the proponents of the project.
Private and public funding is being sought for the project. Masi and Egbert Thomas, HMMP executive vice president, reportedly took out personal loans totaling $81,000 to begin the project's infrastructure. The VI government contributed $150,000 to the project in the form of a grant in July.
A fundraiser is scheduled for November in Washington D.C. where organisers hope to raise another $150,000. Organisers are also planning another fund raiser in January 2007 to raise $1 million. Dignitaries at that event reportedly include former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs, former congressmen Jack Kemp and J.C. Watts have thrown their full support behind the project.
Back...
Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed
 Printable version
|
|
