Afghan-Iraqi Freedom War Memorial has union ties
Bill McMichaels of UA Local
290 designs the memorial and
acts as the construction project
manager
SALEM — A ceremony honoring Oregoni-
ans who have died while serving in U.S. military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will be held
at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 28 — Memorial Day
— at the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom War Memorial
located on the grounds of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs at 700 Summer Street
NE, Salem.
The war memorial has deep union ties.
Bill McMichaels, a 33-year member of
Plumbers and Fitters Local 290, designed the
memorial, helped spearhead the drive to raise
funds, and was the project manager responsible
for finding skilled workers and contractors to
donate their time and materials.
McMichaels contacted his union friends from
the building trades — Iron Workers, Cement
Masons, Carpenters, Electricians, apprentice-
ship training centers and others.
“No one turned me down. It was a real broth-
erhood,” he said.
McMichaels estimated it would have cost
$800,000 to build the memorial without the 750
volunteers and all the donations.
A Salem resident, McMichaels, 60, is a Ma-
rine veteran of the Vietnam War who lost many
friends in that war.
He also is friends with Clay and MJ Kester-
son of Independence, Oregon. The couple lost
their son, Army Warrant Officer Erik Kesterson,
in a Blackhawk helicopter crash in Iraq in 2003.
Together the trio formed a non-profit founda-
tion to create a memorial honoring all Oregon
military members who have been killed in
Bill McMichaels, a 33-year member of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290, stands next to the
Afghan-Iraqi Freedom War Memorial located on the grounds of the Oregon Department of
Veterans Affairs in Salem. McMichaels donated countless hours to the design and construction
of the memorial, which he said is the first one to be built in the United States honoring troops
who have been killed in the Afghan and Iraq conflicts.
Afghanistan and Iraq. It is the first memorial to
be built in the United States for the Afghan-Iraq
conflicts and the first memorial ever to be built
before a conflict was over, McMichaels said.
“It took 60 years to get a memorial for sol-
diers in World War II,” McMichaels said. “We
weren’t going to wait that long.”
The design and site location for the memorial
were approved by the Oregon Legislature and
signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Sept. 2, 2005.
“The hardest part of this whole project was
getting through the bureaucratic red tape,”
McMichaels said. He acknowledged the efforts
of Rep. Donna Nelson for helping get the bill
passed.
Construction on the memorial began in June
2005.
The erection of the statue and fountain began
on Sept. 11, 2006, with Kulongoski setting a
goal for completion on Veterans Day — Nov.
11, 2006.
“Everybody said it couldn’t be done in two
months. They said it would take at least five,”
McMichaels told the Northwest Labor Press.
McMichaels, who has committed to handling all
the maintenance work at the memorial for the
next five years, was there installing a new gran-
ite bench and pulling stakes on concrete path-
ways that had been poured earlier that week.
“I’m really proud of Oregonians, the way
they stepped up to do whatever was needed to
make it happen,” he said.
McMichaels himself was at the site seven
days a week, oftentimes for 16 hours a day.
The war memorial features an illuminated
40-foot-wide fountain with an 8-foot bronze
statue of a soldier kneeling on a pedestal rising
out of the United States. With an outstretched
hand, the soldier is gesturing “freedom to the
world.” The world is displayed in the form of a
stainless steel map at the bottom of an oval pool.
Surrounding the pool are flags representing
every branch of the military, prisoners of war,
the United States and the State of Oregon.
A specially-designed tank pumps 900 gallons
of water a minute through the fountain, and jet
sprayers create a constant mist. The water fea-
tures shut off automatically if the outside air
reaches a certain temperature or the wind
reaches a certain level. The memorial also has a
granite wall inscribed with the names of Oregon
soldiers who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan.
A “Support Our Troops” motorcycle rally
will precede the service on Memorial Day.
McMichaels said riders from all corners of the
state will meet at the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom War
Memorial at 12:30 p.m. on May 28 to honor vet-
erans who died and who served the country. He
encourages all union members to ride their mo-
torcycles to the Memorial Day event.
Workers’ Rights Board
on
Safe RN Staffing
and
Collective Bargaining
The Workers’ Rights Board is a group of community leaders
coordinated by Jobs with Justice who are committed to protecting the
rights of workers. They use their public visibility and moral authority to
intervene when workers’ rights are being violated.
Thursday May 31st
7 pm
Portland Community College
Cascade Campus
Moriarty Arts and Humanities Bldg
Room 104 Auditorium
705 N Killingworth St
Support the 3,000 Legacy RNs who
are working to form a union with
AFT Healthcare NW/OFNHP 5017
WORKING UNITED WORKS
PAGE 12
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MAY 18, 2007