A Marine veteran from a small North Carolina town spent 16 years fighting to build a national memorial honoring the Americans who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm — overcoming congressional setbacks, years of bureaucratic hurdles and a lengthy battle over its location, all while refusing to use taxpayer money to get it done.
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it → spend → money
"I'm just an average everyday American," Scott Stump told Fox News Digital.
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Stump → tell → Digital
"I just felt like something had to be done to correct what I felt was a historical oversight."
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I → feel → ?
What began as one veteran's determination to ensure the sacrifices of the 1990-1991 Gulf War generation were not forgotten became a 16-year undertaking that culminated in the Oct. 24, 2026, opening of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial on the National Mall.
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that → begin → Mall
Stump, who spearheaded the effort with a team of veteran volunteers, said he insisted from the beginning that the project be built without U.S. taxpayer funding, even as it required years of congressional action, federal approvals and financial support from donors.
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it → spearhead → donors
"I made the decision right off the bat that [I] was not interested in encumbering the taxpayer at all," Stump said.
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Stump → make → taxpayer
"This should be 100% privately funded.
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This → fund → ?
Just felt like it was the right thing to do."
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it → feel → ?
Stump said the idea first came to him in November 2010, as the country approached the 20th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, the U.S.-led military campaign that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.
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that → say → occupation
He had attended veterans events where service members from other conflicts were recognized, but those who fought in Desert Shield and Desert Storm were overlooked.
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who → attend → Shield
"They skipped right over it and they act like it never happened," Stump recalled.
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Stump → skip → it
Living in Waynesville, North Carolina, Stump had no elaborate political operation or established Washington network to carry out his vision.
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Stump → live → vision
Instead, he assembled a team of fellow veterans who shared his belief that the conflict deserved a permanent place in the nation's history, he said.
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he → assemble → history
Stump worked with then-Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., to secure the legislation necessary to authorize the memorial.
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Stump → work → memorial
"It was kind of a Mr. Smith goes to Washington," Stump said, referring to the classic film about an ordinary American navigating Washington politics.
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Stump → go → politics
The legislative effort alone took roughly three-and-a-half to four years, and Stump said he was forced to start over after legislation introduced late in one congressional session failed to advance.
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legislation → take → session
He reintroduced the effort in 2013, testified before Congress in February 2014 and watched the House approve the measure in a unanimous 370-0 vote on May 28, 2014.
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House → reintroduce → May
Stump said the Senate effort encountered additional legislative complications that threatened to derail the memorial authorization before the congressional session ended.
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session → say → authorization
He fought to clear the obstacle, knowing another failure could mean starting the legislative process from scratch for a third time.
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failure → fight → time
The authorization ultimately passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2015, which President Barack Obama signed into law in December 2014.
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Obama → pass → December
Next came the challenge of securing a location worthy of the service members the memorial would honor.
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memorial → come → members
Stump initially believed the site-selection process would take approximately 18 months.
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process → believe → months
Instead, it stretched to 39 months, he recounted.
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he → stretch → months
He said much of that time was spent educating officials and members of federal commissions about the significance of Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
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much → say → Shield
Some questioned whether the conflict had truly ended, he said.
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he → question → ?
Others questioned whether enough Americans had died to justify a prominent national memorial.
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Americans → question → memorial
"’There weren't enough people who died to have a memorial for this,’" Stump recalled being told during the approval process.
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Stump → be → process
After initially receiving approval for a different location, Stump and his team continued pushing for their preferred site near 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue.
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Stump → receive → Street
They secured approval on June 21, 2018, in an "absolute epic battle," Stump said.
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Stump → secure → battle
"We are not interested in just something visible," Stump said, recalling the argument he made to commissioners.
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he → say → commissioners
"But we wanted something that was visitable."
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that → want → something
He wanted visitors to do more than pass a monument on their way to another destination.
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visitors → want → destination
He wanted them to walk through the memorial, experience its design and leave inspired to learn about a war that had faded from the memories of many Americans.
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that → want → Americans
Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, prompting President George H.W. Bush to launch Operation Desert Shield and build an international coalition.
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Iraq → invade → coalition
After months of military buildup, Operation Desert Storm began Jan. 17, 1991, with weeks of airstrikes before a ground offensive launched Feb. 24 drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait in approximately 100 hours.
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offensive → begin → hours
"You know, you have 30 some odd countries, five continents, different races, religions, creeds," Stump said.
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Stump → know → countries
Outside of the monument this month, DJ of Wisconsin told Fox News Digital his mother served in the Air Force as a nurse in the early '90s.
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mother → tell → 90s
She was never deployed overseas, but during her time, she worked with a many veterans from Desert Storm.
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she → deploy → Storm
"[The memorial] reminded me of her and her service, and just the thanks that I have both for her and for- all Americans who sign a blank check for the country that can be paid for up to and including their lives.
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that → remind → lives
So, I'm just very thankful, and this is a good, good, humble reminder of that sacrifice," said DJ.
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DJ → say → sacrifice
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
