WASHINGTON, D.C. - Home to the only National World War I Museum in the country, Kansas City's Liberty Memorial is finally getting the recognition it deserves as a place of honor and tribute for the brave service members who sacrificed and risked their lives in the country's "Great War." Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is joining Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) in sponsoring bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), John Thune (R-SD), and Roy Blunt (R-MO), that will designate the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City as a National World War I Museum and Memorial. The legislation will also give national memorial status to the Washington, D.C. War Memorial.

"Built with private donations by the people of Kansas City, the Liberty Memorial has led the way in telling the stories of those who served in the Great War, further preserving their memory in the minds of generations of Americans," McCaskill said. "I'm thrilled that after months of hard work we were able to come to a comprise that is befitting of our veterans and honors their work both in the heart of America and our nation's capital."

After nearly two years of work on this legislation, the senators, with the help and cooperation of the Liberty Memorial Association and the World War I Memorial Foundation, crafted a compromise from two pieces of legislation, one focused on the D.C. Memorial, the other on the Liberty Memorial, that will encompass the primary objectives for both the Kansas City and Washington, D.C. memorials. Specifically, this bill will dedicate the Liberty Memorial of Kansas City as the "National World War I Museum and Memorial" and the District of Columbia War Memorial as the "District of Columbia and National World War I Memorial."

As the WWI centennial approaches, the legislation also provides for the formation of a 24-member commission to design and implement a proper nationwide commemoration of the centennial. The commission will be based in Kansas City and will feature the city as a focal point in the development of the centennial activities.

Born 110 years ago today, Missouri native Frank Buckles remains our only living veteran of this war, representing all those who served and sacrificed with valor. With his dedication and service to our country in mind, McCaskill is working to bring this legislation to a vote as quickly as possible.

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