RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – March 1 marks two important milestones for the Virginia War Memorial: the 65th anniversary of the Shrine of Memory and the publication of the Mighty Pen Project’s 100th article.
The Shrine of Memory was approved as a memorial for those killed during World War II. Before construction began, America entered the Korean War and plans for the memorial adapted to include those servicemen and women as well.
In 1981, the names of Virginians killed in action during the Vietnam War were added to the Shrine walls. In 1996, the names of those who died in the Persian Gulf War were added. Today, nearly 12,000 names are etched in the massive glass panels.
In February 2020, the memorial dedicated a new shrine for the 21st Century and the Global War on Terrorism and opened a new education center, the C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion.
Now in its 8th year, the Mighty Pen Project offers intensive writing classes to help and encourage veterans to write about their memories, reflections and repressed fears. Now in its eighth year, it provides creative writing instruction so students can develop their memories into a complete written narrative.
Veteran students can register for the spring-summer team, which begins April 21, at this link.
The project’s online archives are accessible to readers across the world. Over 2,000 readers worldwide have downloaded some of the 100 published articles.
