The Erie Regional Chamber is helping plant the seed for a planned memorial honoring Erie County veterans of the Global War on Terrorism.
As part of its Spirit of Erie celebration Wednesday, the Chamber made a $500 donation at the future site of the Erie County Global War on Terrorism Memorial.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Global War on Terrorism. Veterans working to establish the memorial say it will be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
The memorial will honor the men and women from Erie County who served in the Global War on Terrorism, while also remembering the seven local service members who died — four in Iraq and three in Afghanistan.
“We’re honored to be doing it here for all the veterans of Erie County — especially to memorialize the seven who gave their lives in service to our nation,” said retired U.S. Army Colonel Jeremy Crist.
Erie Regional Chamber President and CEO Brandon Mendoza said the donation is intended to help get the project started.
“When we started to talk to our county veterans office about this, we were like, that’s a perfect opportunity to plant that seed,” Mendoza said. “I’m hoping that we will do more here in the future — but today is about planting the seed.”
The memorial committee has raised about $10,000 toward its goal of $300,000 by Memorial Day 2027.
Those interested in supporting the project can learn more by clicking here.