FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     MEMORIAL TO BE BUILT TO HONOR FALLEN WARRIOR OF PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADE   Click here for donation form (pdf format) WASHINGTON, PA – The 2ND Brigade Combat Team 28th Infantry Division headquartered in Washington, PA served in Al Anbar Province Iraq from June 2005 to June 2006.  During the yearlong deployment the brigade combat team provided security for 2 national elections, oversaw the establishment of the Iraqi Army and local police forces, and conducted combat operations against the insurgency.  The brigade combat team had 82 Fallen Warriors; Marines, Soldiers and Sailors during its year long deployment in Iraq.   A memorial will be built in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania at the site of the 28th Infantry Division Shrine and the Pennsylvania Military Museum to honor those warriors who paid the ultimate price.  Soldiers from the brigade built a memorial while they were in Iraq to honor their fallen comrades.  That memorial was disassembled and brought back to Pennsylvania and was reconstructed in front of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs building at Fort Indiantown Gap.  The memorial to be built in Boalsburg will be similar to the one built in Iraq, but will be constructed out of granite and steel.   “Our purpose is to create a memorial at Boalsburg to honor the 82 Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors who were killed in combat from the 2/28 BCT as well as preserve history and educate future generations about the contributions of the 2/28 BCT to the Global War on Terrorism.  It will also give families, Soldiers and the community a place to remember, to learn, to grieve and heal.” said Brigadier General John Gronski, Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.   The memorial will be built entirely from private funds.  The Pennsylvania National Guard Foundation, Inc. has initiated a fund raising campaign to fund the construction of the memorial.  Donations can be sent to the Pennsylvania National Guard Foundation, Inc. ATTN: 2-28 BCT Memorial Fund at Building S-0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA  17003.  Checks should be made payable to PNG Foundation, Inc.  Visit our website at www.2-28BCTMemorial.org.   The 2nd Brigade Combat Team was the largest unit deployed from Pennsylvania at the time.  The 2,500 Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers were comprised of units from Washington, Pa, Mount Pleasant, Johnstown, Scranton, Philadelphia and many other communities throughout Pennsylvania.  Units from Vermont, Utah, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska and Kentucky augmented the Brigade Combat Team.  Once in Iraq, the brigade was also augmented with and an active duty Army battalion and a Marine Battalion.      For more information, visit www.2-28bctmemorial.org or contact Chris Yeakle at (724) 301-0944, email chrisyeakle@zoominternet.net. Click here for donation form.