‘We Will Not Wait’ – Dunham House founder announces plans for new national memorial to honor service members
Artist rendering of the Dunham House, which will be the first longterm care facility in the United States specifically designed for combat-wounded soldiers who have suffered catastrophic injuries, such as multiple amputations and traumatic brain injuries.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel John Folsom, Executive Director of Dunham House, stands on the land where the new national memorial will be placed on the property where the Dunham House is currently being constructed. The Dunham House, the U.S.’s first
Dunham House is named in honor of Marine Corporal Jason L. Dunham, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor after shielding his fellow Marines from an explosive device in Iraq in April 2004.
Colonel John Folsom lays out plans to build permanent national memorial honoring more than 6,500 U.S. service members
“I’m not going to wait 10 years for a memorial to be built,” said retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel John Folsom, Executive Director of Dunham House. “It’s going to be built now, and it’s going to be built here at Dunham House.”
Today, Folsom laid out plans to construct a permanent national memorial honoring the more than 6,500 U.S. servicemembers who were killed in action or died of wounds in named operations between October 2001 and August 26, 2021 – including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and other missions connected to the post-9/11 wars.
A Nation’s Promise Etched in Stone
The memorial will be constructed using Sunset Granite quarried in South Dakota, with each name individually engraved into the stone.
“It’s fitting that the names are etched into granite,” Folsom said. “Granite is formed under intense heat and pressure, which makes it strong and resilient. It is emblematic of our nature as a people – and especially those who swear to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
At the center of the project is a stark reminder that time matters. “The Nation which forgets its Defenders will itself be forgotten,” Folsom added.
The Memorial’s Home: Dunham House
When completed, the memorial – with estimated cost of $2.5 million and fundraising already underway –will sit at the front entrance of Dunham House, the nation’s first long-term residential facility built specifically for combat-wounded veterans who have suffered catastrophic wounds, such as multiple amputations and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
The 27,000-square-foot home – which will provide housing, healthcare and community to 30 severely combat-wounded veterans is currently under construction in Omaha and is scheduled to open in Spring 2026.
“These brave soldiers will finally have a community of their own where they can live with the dignity that so rightfully deserve,” added Colonel Folsom.
Why This Memorial, and Why Now?
The memorial and the house it fronts are the culmination of a career of service – and a response to what Colonel Folsom, who also founded Wounded Warriors Family Support in 2003, believes is one of the most overlooked consequences of modern war.
As a former CH-46 helicopter pilot, Folsom coordinated casualty evacuations in southwestern al Anbar province while deployed to Iraq in 2005. Since Vietnam, advances in trauma care and faster medevac helicopter response times have significantly improved battlefield survival rates – but surviving catastrophic wounds comes with its own long-term crisis: where do these veterans go once their families can no longer care for them?
Currently, many of these veterans are placed in elderly nursing homes, a mismatch that Folsom calls unacceptable. Dunham House, and the memorial in front of it, is his answer.
Honoring the Fallen with a Name That Matters
Dunham House is named in honor of Marine Corporal Jason L. Dunham, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor after shielding his fellow Marines from an explosive device in Iraq in April 2004.
His spirit of courage and selflessness lives on in the house that bears his name – and soon, in every engraved name of the memorial that stands in front of it.
“This isn’t just about a place to live,” Folsom said. “It’s about building a community of remembrance and honor – for those who came home and those who never did.”
"That mission is very clear now: To honor our fallen, support our wounded and remind our great nation that service and sacrifice should never be forgotten.”
HOW TO HELP
To learn more, donate to the memorial, or support the mission of Dunham House, visit www.dunhamhouse.org.
About Dunham House
Dunham House is dedicated to providing combat-wounded veterans with exceptional care in a supportive community that fosters dignity and independence. With housing and amenities designed for 30 veterans, this initiative is set to make a lasting impact on the lives of those who have sacrificed so much.
About Wounded Warriors Family Support
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization that provides support to the families of those wounded, injured, or killed in combat. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, it is run by combat veterans for combat veterans, focusing on healing the wounds that medicine cannot.
Websites:
DunhamHouse.org
WWFS.org
Jim Minge
Wayfinder
+1 402-740-8188
jminge@wayfinderpr.com
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