110 HR 7243 IH: To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-10-02
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Designation of the Liberty
Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the
National World War I Memorial
(a)Congress
makes the following findings:
(1)Although more
than 4,000,000 Americans served in World War I, there is no nationally
recognized memorial honoring the service of such Americans in that war.
(2)In 1919, the
people of Kansas City, Missouri, expressed an outpouring of support and raised
more than $2,000,000 in two weeks for a memorial to the service of Americans in
World War I. That fundraising was an accomplishment unparalleled by any other
city in the United States irrespective of population and reflected the passion
of public opinion about World War I, which had so recently ended.
(3)Following the
drive, a national architectural competition was held by the American Institute
of Architects for designs for a memorial to the service of Americans in World
War I, and the competition yielded a design by architect H. Van Buren
Magonigle.
(4)On November 1,
1921, more than 100,000 people witnessed the dedication of the site for the
Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. That dedication marked the only time
in history that the five allied military leaders present, Lieutenant General
Baron Jacques of Belgium, General Armando Diaz of Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch
of France, General John J. Pershing of the United States, and Admiral Lord Earl
Beatty of Great Britain, were together at one place.
(5)General Pershing,
a native of Missouri and the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in
World War I, noted at the November 1, 1921, dedication that [t]he people
of Kansas City, Missouri, are deeply proud of the beautiful memorial, erected
in tribute to the patriotism, the gallant achievements, and the heroic
sacrifices of their sons and daughters who served in our country’s armed forces
during the World War. It symbolized their grateful appreciation of duty well
done, and appreciation which I share, because I know so well how richly it is
merited
.
(6)During an
Armistice Day ceremony in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge marked the beginning
of a three-year construction project for the Liberty Memorial by the laying of
the cornerstone of the memorial.
(7)The 217-foot
Liberty Memorial Tower has an inscription that reads In Honor of Those
Who Served in the World War in Defense of Liberty and Our Country
as
well as four stone Guardian Spirits
representing courage, honor,
patriotism, and sacrifice, which rise above the observation deck, making the
Liberty Memorial a noble tribute to all who served in World War I.
(8)During a
rededication for the Liberty Memorial in 1961, World War I veterans and former
Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the memorial as
a constant reminder of the sacrifices during World War I and the progress that
followed.
(9)The 106th
Congress recognized the Liberty Memorial as a national symbol of World War
I.
(10)The 108th
Congress designated the museum at the base of the Liberty Memorial as
America’s National World War I Museum
.
(11)The National
World War I Museum is the only public museum in the United States specifically
dedicated to the history of World War I.
(12)The National
World War I Museum is known throughout the world as a major center of World War
I remembrance.
(b)The
Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri,
is hereby designated as the National World War I
Memorial
.