ON THE COVER

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16 | APRIL 28 • 2022 

provided the audio system.
The JWV has a long history of support 
for the memorial’s efforts, having regu-
larly sponsored their annual fundraising 
galas. Two of JWV’s own have been 
recipients of the gala’s Victory Awards: 
Art Fishman in 2016 and 100-year-old 
Guy Stern last October.
The JWV’s support continued at the 
groundbreaking with a large turnout of 
its membership, including WWII veter-
ans, several of whom were accompanied 
by Vietnam veteran and JWV Senior 
Vice Commander Bill Glogower aboard 
a plush event bus rented by the organiza-
tion. “I was very honored to be in their 
presence,” Glogower said. “They are,” 
his voice cracking with emotion, “our 
Greatest Generation.”
JWV Dept. of Michigan Commander 
Dr. Edward Hirsch, Colonel U.S. Army 
Special Forces (retired), was equally 
moved by the reception received by his 
most senior membership. “I was over-
whelmed by the kindness shown to our 
WWII veterans,” he said. “I will always 
be reminded of their sacrifices so that we 
can live in a much better world today.” 
Hirsch is no stranger to sacrifices made 
in defense of his country. When he was 
a team leader in Special Operations in 
Vietnam, a traumatic leg injury landed 
him in Walter Reed Army Medical Center 
for more than nine months, earning him 
his third Purple Heart.
Also on hand was JWV Department of 
Michigan Chief of Staff Donald Schenk, 
a retired Army brigadier general whose 
service included combat operations in 
Operation Desert Storm. “
As a Baby 
Boomer and career Army officer,” Schenk 

• The Michigan WWII Legacy 
Memorial began as Honor Flight 
Michigan in 2007, providing one-day, 
all-expense-paid trips to Washington, 
D.C., for our WWII veterans to see 
their national memorial.
• After 33 flights taking 1,400 vet-
erans, the waiting list was exhaust-
ed, and the idea was conceived 
to bring the memorial home to 
Michigan. 
• The memorial will serve as a 
place to gather, remember and 
inspire; designed to engage the 
community and educate future gen-
erations on the heroic efforts of the 
Greatest Generation.
• In 2017, Royal Oak unanimous-
ly granted the memorial project 
a ¾-acre section within the city’s 
Memorial Park, located at the north-
east corner of 13 Mile Road and 
Woodward Avenue.
• April 7, 2022, Groundbreaking 
for Phase I, which will include over 
1,200 donated Walk of Honor brick 
pavers, installation of a full-sized 
statue depicting a soldier reading 
a letter from home, installation of 
flagpoles with flags representing 
each branch of the military and our 
state flag, plus pouring of footings 
for a Wall of Stars and future statue 
scenes. 
• The near-term goal is to raise 
$300,000 for Phase II to construct 
the Memorial’s 10-feet high by 

50-feet wide Wall of Stars. It will 
consist of 1,400 stars, each honor-
ing approximately 11 of the 15,458 
Michigan lives lost during WWII. Each 
star is available for a contribution.
• The total projected budget is $3 
million to complete the full memo-
rial. In addition to Phase I and II 
elements highlighted above, the 
memorial will ultimately include: 
— Three life-sized bronze statue 
scenes representing Land, Air and 
Sea, telling the Michigan story from 
both home front and war front per-
spectives.
— A colonnade of 13 pillars, six 
of which will represent Michigan’s 
contribution to the war effort through 
service, sacrifice, industry, labor, com-
mitment and change.
 — A large, walkable, interactive 
map of Michigan embedded into the 
memorial grounds highlighting com-
munities integral in securing victory 
through industry, government and 
commercial endeavors.
— A spacious amphitheater for 
events.

Donate by credit card or volun-
teer at: michiganww2memorial.org. 
Make checks payable to The 
Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial 
and mail to: The Michigan WWII 
Legacy Memorial, P.O. Box 8237, 
Royal Oak, MI 48068. Call toll-free 
(888) 229-6126. 

The Michigan WWII Legacy 
Memorial: Its History and Future

U.S. Rep. Andy 
Levin and Memorial 
President John Maten

Emcee Rich 
Luterman, chief 
meteorologist 
at FOX 2 Detroit

RUSSELL LEVINE

JIM HOUSE, WINDING TRAIL PHOTOGRAPHY