“Stalled in Congress for years, the GWOT Memorial Act simply would not have passed without With Honor Action and the For Country Caucus.” – Former Rep. Mike Gallagher, Former Member of the For Country Caucus

A walk along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. reminds us that freedom always comes at a cost. From the hollow columns of the World War II Memorial to the tens of thousands of names on the Korean War and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, it’s clear that service is the bedrock upon which the American story was built.

Soon after With Honor’s creation, we committed ourselves to ensuring that Global War on Terror veterans receive the recognition they deserve with a memorial on the National Mall, where it will become a sacred space for all Americans to honor their commitment and sacrifice to our great nation.

After legislation to create such a Memorial was introduced in 2016, Congress authorized its creation a year later — after a bipartisan effort led by Rep. and For Country Caucus Co-Chair Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. and Caucus Member Seth Moulton (D-MA), and then Rep. and Caucus Member Mike Gallagher (R-WI). Congress, however, still needed to allow the Memorial’s construction on the Reserve portion of the National Mall, the same piece of land on which the Mall’s other war memorials reside.

At the start of the 117th Congress in 2021, Reps. Crow and Gallagher reintroduced the GWOT Memorial Location Act, which would have allowed for the Memorial to join its brethren on the Mall. It passed with significant bipartisan support a year later after the For Country Caucus coalesced behind it. The Caucus sent a letter to former President Biden advocating for passage, and both Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who was then the For Country Caucus Co-Chair, and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a With Honor Senate ally, testified on its behalf to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

In 2023, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation announced that the Memorial would be located near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. With Honor co-hosted a reception with the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation in 2023 to announce the architect of the project.

“As part of our advocacy efforts, With Honor Action coordinated an opinion piece by all living Secretaries of Defense, calling for the prominent placement of the Memorial on the National Mall. The piece was instrumental in convincing staffers and Members to get this done.” – Washington Post, September 8, 2021

Testimonials
"Thanks to the leadership and support of With Honor, the GWOT Memorial will one day take its place alongside the existing war memorials in one of our nation's most sacred locations. It will be a place where Americans can come to honor, heal, be empowered, and unite behind all who have served and are still serving in America's longest war."

Michael Rodriguez

CEO, Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation
“The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Act, which I led with my fellow veterans and members of the For Country Caucus Rep. Jason Crow and former Rep. Mike Gallagher, would not have passed without the leadership of With Honor Action. I’m looking forward to our continued partnership in the years ahead and working with the veterans in the For Country Caucus as they expand their network to veterans in the Senate who share the same commitment to bipartisan solutions.”

Joni Ernst (R-IA)

Senator