At the February 7th meeting of The National Capitol Planning Commission, preliminary approval was given for the current design for this project. Final approval is expected in about three months. The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission still needs to raise about $20 million towards the estimated cost to build. You can learn more at this link.

Meanwhile, The National Park Service is soliciting public comment about the proposed re-landscaping of the site. You can learn more about this at this link.

James (“Jim”) Patton BS BA MPA is a retired state official from Shawnee, Kansas and a frequent contributor to several WW1 e-publications, including "Roads to the Great War," "St. Mihiel Tripwire," "Over the Top" and "Medicine in the First World War." He has spent many hours walking the WW1 battlefields, and is also an authority on British regiments and a collector of their badges. An Army Engineer during the Vietnam War, he does work for the US World War 1 Centennial Commission and is affiliated with the WW1 Historical Association, the Western Front Association, the Salonika Campaign Society and the Gallipoli Association.