MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin veterans are asking lawmakers to help fund one of the state’s most iconic memorials as support from local government is set to phase out over the coming decade.
The Milwaukee County War Memorial is owned by the county but operated by the nonprofit War Memorial Center, which offers mental health support, educational programs, and other veteran-focused services.
“It’s not just a structure. The war memorial – people go there to learn about history. They go to honor their families who have served, and they go to learn about what it is to serve,” Kim Queen, a Vietnam veteran who served more than 40 years in the Army, said.
“Our mission at the War Memorial Center is ‘Honor the dead. Serve the living,’” said Andy Gordon, who leads the center’s board and served as an Army officer, deploying twice to Iraq. “We honor the dead through our memorials and our exhibits and our programming.”
Watch: Veterans ask state to pass funding for War Memorial Center in Milwaukee
Currently, Milwaukee County covers roughly 20% of the center’s budget. That funding agreement expires in 2033. Two years ago, county leaders considered ending that funding early to address budget shortfalls.
Veterans came to Madison on Thursday to testify in support of a bill that would put $9 million towards funding maintaining the center’s memorials and programs. The money would be overseen by the state Department of Veterans Affairs and matched by donations the center is currently raising.
“The War Memorial Center just isn’t about Milwaukee,” Queen said. “It’s about all of Wisconsin. It’s all about our history.”
The lawmakers who authored the bill are veterans themselves, and the measure has bipartisan support.
“The goal of the war memorial fund here is just to create an ongoing supply of renovation and maintenance for them, so they don’t have to worry about kind of the county or local funding problems, or even the politics within the state,” Republican Sen. Eric Wimberger, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, said.
While veterans were testifying at Thursday’s hearing, volunteers at the War Memorial Center were setting up for its annual “Field of Flags” event for Memorial Day weekend. The display includes one flag for each of the state’s 27,316 service members killed in action from the Civil War through present day. Those service members will be honored in a ceremony on Friday.
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