New Peer Program to Recognize Fund Raising Support for WWI Veterans Commemorations

The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission Announces the "A.E.F. Memorial Corps"

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission has announced the “A.E.F. Memorial Corps” (American Expeditionary Forces Memorial Corps) to recognize Veterans, Military, Patriotic, Historical, Service, and Community organizations that raise funds to help build and provide ongoing support for the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

The A.E.F. Memorial Corps will induct national, state, or local organizations (or any local chapters such as American Legion or VFW posts) which hold fundraisers for the benefit of the national World War I Memorial. Those Legion and VFW Posts which have already made donations to help build the Memorial will be inducted at the organization’s respective national conventions this summer.

The A.E.F. Memorial Corps supports remembering those veterans who served in WWI, and the ongoing remembrance of their stories. It will be operated by the Doughboy Foundation, the fundraising organization for new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC which is being created by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. The Memorial is located in Pershing Park, on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near the White House, and is being built with private funds from corporate, organizational, and individual donations. More information about the Memorial is here: http://ww1cc.org/memorial.

“There have already been some wonderful and generous fundraising efforts for the new National WWI Memorial by local posts of the Legion and VFW, chapters of the DAR, and other groups around the nation,” said Dan Dayton, the Executive Director of the Commission. Dayton notes that many Legion and VFW Posts carry the name of a WWI veteran as their post’s namesake.

“The A.E.F. Memorial Corps has been created to give appropriate recognition to all organizations around the country, and internationally, who want to help ‘Keep Faith with the Doughboys’ by contributing to the building and ongoing support of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.” he concludes.

For more information on how Veterans, Military, Patriotic, Historical, Service, and Community organizations that raise funds to help build and provide ongoing support for the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, send an email to AEF_Memorial_Corps@worldwar1centennial.org.

Congress authorized the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission to create the new memorial in 2014. This Memorial in the nation's capital honors the more than 4.7 million American men and women who served their country in the Armed Forces during the war. Some 2 million of those Americans deployed overseas to the fight. Sadly, 116,516 of them never returned home. More information about the Commission is here: http://ww1cc.org.

The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of “Keeping Faith with the Doughboys.” The Foundation works closely with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission in support of the Commission's mission to build the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, and provide educational and commemorative activities around the Memorial. More information about the Foundation is here: https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/about/the-foundation.html.