United States World War Two Wall of Liberty Foundation



United States World War Two Wall of Liberty Foundation

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 18, 2006

The United States World War II Wall of Liberty Foundation has recently under gone a restructuring of it’s Board of Directors, forming a new action plan for fund raising, architecture, and construction of the Wall of Liberty Garden Memorial on UTAH Beach, near Ste-Marie-du-Mont., France.

Four original board members, in accordance with WOLF's Constitution and By-Laws, have approved seven new

members and elected 3 new Officers; first meeting of the new Board occurred 16 May 2006 in Washington, DC.

The new Board of Directors is as follows:

President- M/Gen Charles  L Wilson USAF (retired), WWII veteran SWPA-13th AF

Vice President - Clifford Gibbons - son of Congressman (ret) Sam Gibbons, D-Day 101st AB Div.

Treasurer -  Lt.Col. Ron Hamrah- USAF (retired)

*Secretary -  Donald McKee - 175th Inf, 29th Div. WWII-D-Day OMAHA Beach

*Jules Blutfield  - 12th AAF Italy WWII

Lt/Gen Ed Chavarrie - USAF (retired)

M/Gen Boyd Cook -  USA (retired) – Div. Cmdr. 29th Inf. Div.(1980's)

Basil Paddock - ETO Service US Army, 1943-45

Mark Roche

M/G J.Milner Roberts AUS (retired) – D-Day Veteran-OMAHA Beach

*Timothy Wood - son of Paul O. Wood, 531st Engineer Shore Regiment -UTAH Beach  June 1944

            *Original Board Member

ADVISORS:

-Col. Tom Baker-USA (retired)

-Pierre Colmant - Pierre M. Colmant, Ministre Plenipotentiaire Hon., Caen, France

-Henri Ormond - WWII Holocaust survivor; honorable service in US Army; has American passport; lives in Metz

-Laurent Lefebvre--Paris Resident; Expert on Normandy WW II; Author of three books on D-Day (see )

 

Recent activities include:

 

A.  On March 17, 2006 President Chuck Wilson, Secretary Don McKee, Congressman Sam Gibbons (retired), and Vice President Clifford Gibbons met with the French Ambassador to the US,  Jean-David Levitte. His Public Affairs Officer, Olivier Piton was present. Discussion included the next steps necessary to enable a joint effort between the Foundation and various agencies in the United States and France.  The Ambassador  enthusiastically promised to assist  efforts to raise funds to build the Memorial.  Among other topics discussed was the Ambassador's suggestion that the Board consider a less expensive option with computer displays of the 66,000 veteran names--something similar to the computer system in the AFIHC (American  Family Immigration History Center) on Ellis Island, NY. He also suggested that in addition to the names of 66,000 veterans we add  names of all the veterans who served honorably in the liberation of Europe.  He said he would inquire about getting names of these veterans. The Board has agreed to examine his suggestion in its review of the current architectural design, which is approved by the US Commission on Fine Arts, and conditionally approved by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

B. State of Texas was contacted and has confirmed that the Corporation which established the WOLF is "in good standing”.

A letter to reinstate Wolf's 501c (3) tax-free status was then sent to the IRS and a  favorable response has been received.

C. 30 April-3 May 2006--The President, Charles Wilson, and WOLF Advisor Henri Ormond met in Paris, went to Normandy and back to Paris..

 

     a.  On 30 April they visited the Museum de la SHOA in Paris because this Museum  has a computer automated program with about 70,000 names of Jews who were deported from France in WW II.  The names are also attractively and efficiently engraved on sandstone slabs.  This arrangement provides a useful model for possible modification/upgrade of the existing design for the Wall of Liberty Memorial.

 

     b.  On 2 May they met with Officials in Normandy: The host for this meeting was Henri Milet, Mayor of Ste.-Marie-du-Mont.  Also present were the Mayor of St. Mere Eglise, Marc Lefevre; Mr. Dan Neese, superintendent of the US Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. Laurent Lefebvre and several other influential officials in Normandy.  Items discussed were:

 

        (1) creation of a sister foundation to WOLF for initiating fund-raising in France from French members of the French American Business Council (FABC).  This effort will complement solicitation of funds in USA from American members of the FABC.  

        (2) consideration of Ambassador Levitte's suggestion in relation to the current approved design

        (3) development of a plan to publicize a relationship between the Road of Liberty (Voie de la Liberty--2 meter high markers one KM    apart from UTAH Beach across France and Luxembourg to Bastogne) and the Wall of Liberty, memorializing the liberation of Europe via the advance of US and Allied Forces from Normandy across France, Holland, Luxembourg  and Belgium. 

D.  On 3 May Ormond and Wilson met with Amb. Stapleton:  During this 45 minute meeting  he was given a detailed briefing on the history of the Battle of Normandy Foundation (BONF), about which he was totally unfamiliar; the creation of the Wall of Liberty Foundation in 1996/97; the availability of land on UTAH Beach and an approved design of the Memorial; and the status and plans of. the rejuvenated Board.   Although non-committal with regards to fund-raising options, he was supportive of the new Board's efforts to rejuvenate the project and agreed to receive future status reports of progress.

E.  On 13 May the  President visited the AFIHC on Ellis Island;  This visit resulted in an excellent education on the history and functions of this automated system, which Ambassador Levitte suggested should somehow be considered as a model of our Memorial with addition of names of all WW II European veterans.  The Director of the Center, Catherine Daly, explained and demonstrated the functioning of the Center--and provided the name of the Architect Firm , ESI Design--which subsequently provided Wilson with further information which will be useful in review/update of the WOLF Memorial design.

F.  On 16 May the first meeting of the New Board occurred in the Army- Navy Club in Washington. A quorum of the new Board  discussed many aspects of the Foundation and, after much discussion, approved the draft of an 8-page letter  from the President to Ambassador Levitte, responding to his suggestions during our meeting on 17 March and his promise to take the lead in fund-raising in France. 

G.  On 1 June the President met with Olivier Piton and J-F Boittin In the French Embassy. Meeting with Mr. Piton was to deliver information for relay to his Ambassador about his visits to the Museum de la SHOA and the AFIHC on Ellis Island. 

H.  4 June. Wilson and Mckee visited the storage area in Manassas, VA, where all the BONF records of the 66,000 names have been stored since WOLF received them after a legal battle in 1995/97. Although paper files/records were in less than perfect condition, the diskettes stored there which have all the names and states of all the donors were in satisfactory condition. 

I.  7 July:  Wilson and Henri Ormond  met the Mayor of Ste-Marie-du-Mont and several influential officials in Normandy, including  Dr. Claude Gatignol, Depute de la Manche; the Mayor of Saint Mere Eglise, Mark Lefevre;  Mr.Charles de Vallavieille, Curator of the UTAH Beach Museum and Laurent Lefebvre. The primary objective was to discuss ways to create a fund-raising organization in France.  Ormond and Wilson were pleased that there was a very positive attitude about how to accomplish  this--which will require some coordination with a committee representing 11 projects concerning D-Day events (the WOLF  Project is one of these).  This committee is led by a retired French Admiral and it is expected that by end September there will be a report of when and how a fund-raising foundation in Normandy can be created, where it will be located and who will lead it. 

J  10 July.. Wilson and Ormond met with US Ambassador to France, the Honorable Craig Stapleton.   Col. Franklin, Deputy to Gen Hawkins, ABMC-Europe, was present at invitation of the Ambassador.

     a.  Col. Franklin appreciated  being informed of progress and our plans--which will require ABMC's future approvals of certain important conditions for construction. Ormond gave the Ambassador a file of plans for the creation of the French foundation and fund-raising options.  Wilson gave the Ambassador a draft letter for him to send  to WOLF's President, expressing support for the project.

     b.  Ambassador Stapletone was pleased to receive our report, agreed to receive future updates, commended us for out efforts and expressed hope that we  will have success in raising  funds despite serious competition for funds from foundations and corporate donors..

K. 10 July.   Ormond and Wilson met with Mr. Jean Baltrusaitis, the architect who designed the Memorial Garden for WOLF, and were pleased  that he confirmed that the original design in 1999 and some subsequent minor update/cost estimates of almost 10 million Euros for Phase One--are donations to the WOLF and no future invoice for this past work will be submitted     

L. 12-20 September.  Wilson will be in Washington and plans are being finalized for the 2nd Meeting of the Board of Directors and Wilson's visit with Olivier Piton and Ambassador Levitte in the French Embassy..

 

Future updates, news, and background info for the US WW2 Wall of Liberty Foundation will be made available at .

For Information or actions since 18 Aug 2006 contact:

Donald M. McKee, Secretary

305 Northwest Dr.

Silver Spring, MD 20901

mckee175@

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