Washington state Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, has introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a permanent Global War on Terror memorial on the Washington state Capitol campus to honor service members who lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a recent news release.
House Bill 2514 creates a formal process and timeline to design and build the memorial, ensuring those who answered the call after Sept. 11, 2001, are appropriately honored alongside veterans of earlier conflicts already memorialized on the Capitol grounds.
"Our Capitol campus rightly honors those who served in World War I and II, Korea and Vietnam," Abell said. "But for the men and women from Washington who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, nothing has ever been completed. This bill says clearly that their sacrifice matters, and that it is time we honor them."
Washington is home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where thousands of service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Estimates indicate between 150 and nearly 300 Washingtonians lost their lives in those conflicts, depending on whether they were born in the state or stationed here and later called Washington home, the release stated.
"Either way, they are Washingtonians," Abell said. "They lived here, trained here, raised families here, and they deserve to be remembered here."
A Navy Reserve commander with more than 20 years of military service, including deployments to Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Abell said honoring fallen service members is a core responsibility of the government.
"This is part of what government does," Abell said. "We honor those who gave the last full measure of devotion in service to our country. An appropriate memorial on our Capitol campus is how we ensure future generations understand the cost of freedom."
The bill applies to the period beginning Sept. 11, 2001, through the conclusion of U.S. operations in Afghanistan. It also establishes a work group tasked with determining who should be memorialized, soliciting and selecting a design, identifying a suitable location, and developing a budget.
HB 2514 is designed to have the memorial largely funded by private donations. A state account for a Global War on Terror memorial already exists, but Abell said progress has stalled due to the lack of a clear process.
"Interest has always been there, and that's evident in the very strong bipartisan support the bill has received thus far," Abell said. "What's been missing is a roadmap. This bill creates that roadmap and gives people confidence that their support will lead to something real."
The legislation establishes an aspirational timeline of up to five years, though Abell said he hopes to see visible progress sooner.
"I'm an optimist," Abell said. "There is strong support from veterans organizations and from families who lost loved ones. That support tells me this memorial is long overdue."
HB 2514 has been referred to the House State Government Committee. Abell encouraged Washington residents who support the proposal to engage in the legislative process.
"The best way to help move this forward is to look up the bill, follow the hearing schedule, and contact your state representative," Abell said. "Let them know this matters."
