70-year-old WWII memorial project gains momentum

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) - A group in Walla Walla is over halfway toward its fundraising goal to create a World War II memorial 70 years after it was pledged.

The Union-Bulletin reports (https://bit.ly/1Y18MMN) the project is expected to cost $360,000.

World War II Memorial Committee members hope to break ground next spring and have the memorial open by Veterans Day 2017.

The project is slated for Fort Walla Walla Park.

The fort is the fiscal agent on the effort.

At least 87 Walla Walla residents died serving in the war.

Veteran Don Schack is on the committee and says Walla Walla County commissioners promised the memorial in 1946, but it was never built.

The stalled project gained momentum with the help of former state Rep. Tom Copeland, a WWII veteran and Whitman College graduate.

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Information from: Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, https://www.union-bulletin.com