Will there be names of the fallen on the Memorial?

We have received a lot of feedback about whether or not to include the names of the fallen on the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial.

Your opinions are extremely important to us, and have directly influenced the design of the memorial since its inception.  Your concerns are carried with us every single day.

We want to thank you for respectfully sharing your thoughts with us.

Since 2015, we have been working with various government agencies that have been vital to our success as we work to build the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial in Washington D.C.  These agencies have encouraged us to avoid inclusion of individual names of the fallen on the memorial.

The enabling legislation passed in December of 2014 authorizes the National Desert Storm Memorial Association to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor those who, as members of the Armed Forces, served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield.

Our mission is to honor all who served. Unlike the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which continues to attempt to include all those who died, our memorial has a unique challenge of delivering a message about America in its finest hour.

These are the reasons why we cannot list the names on the memorial:    

1.      We would be forced to only include the names of those lost during the specific dates as specified in the enabling legislation. Our great concern is that this limitation would omit the names of so many of our comrades who were lost outside of the parameters.

2.      The Vietnam Veterans Memorial lists the names of the fallen to provide a place of mourning, healing and reconciliation. The legacy of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm is entirely different. Therefore, our Board of Directors, the Design Team, and federal regulating agencies are all in agreement that the historic significance of this conflict should not be measured in terms of casualties by listing specific names.

Work continues on the finer commemorative details on the Memorial.  Final design approval is pending. Although individual names will not be identified on the Memorial, be assured that the design team is working extremely hard to appropriately honor the loss of life.

This memorial represents and includes many degrees of sacrifice:   the individuals that died in theater, the individuals who have since died as a result of being in theater, and those who are currently suffering as a result of their honorable service.

We appreciate your continued support.  Please know that this is a complicated and lengthy process.  We have put a lot of deliberation into ensuring that all aspects of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm are commemorated.