US War Dogs In Conversation With… National Service Animals Memorial Founder, Chair and Sculptor, Susan Bahary
As a part of the military community, we at US War Dogs know all-too well, the power that monuments hold in honoring service, commemorating sacrifice and raising awareness. This year, US War Dogs is thrilled to be supporting one of the largest and most important monument projects in recent history. We spoke to the artist whose inspiration and diligence is helping to bring this vision to life: Susan Bahary.
As an artist, sculptor and long-time friend of the military community, it’s no surprise that Susan Bahary was inspired to develop a project to shine a much-needed spotlight on the role of the service animal community in the United States.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my career to be involved with some prestigious and historically important monuments and memorials”, explains Susan, who is based in California, “but after having worked on so many memorials, it struck me that other countries were doing a greater job of honoring their animals than we were at home.”
“I started sketching a vision and felt very deeply that the American story for animals had yet to be told in this way. While we have the War Dogs memorial in Texas, we should extend that to all service animals – and in our nation’s Capital.”
Resume
Having worked on some of the most significant and high-profile monuments and memorials in the military K-9 world, Susan brings a wealth of talent and experience into this ambitious project. ‘The Pledge’ monument honors the role of female dog handlers at Arlington National Cemetery and is the first of its kind in our nation’s capital to recognize all women serving in the military.
The Pledge
Susan also paid tribute to the men and women of the Sea Services – past present and future – as well as all military working dog teams, with the sculpture, “Service and Sacrifice.” The piece features a larger-than-life depiction of Navy SEAL Team Six member John Douangdara and his MWD Bart, who were killed in August 2011 along with 29 U.S. Soldiers – 17 of whom were Navy Seals – when their CH-47 Chinook was shot down in Afghanistan.
Service and Sacrifice
Susan’s close work with the Australian War Animal Memorial Organization (AWAMO) saw her design and sculpt the WWI Animal Memorial in Pozieres, France in 2018 – which has since become a symbol of sacrifice for all animals who served during the Great War. “Visiting the memorial in Pozieres is an almost spiritual experience. It was the site of death and sacrifice for so many - human and animal.”
“The dedication ceremony did a great job of representing the animals that served there: Donkeys and mules, horses, pigeons and dogs, and there was a real sense of going back in time to honor the service and sacrifice of those who died on the Western front.
“It made me so emotional to think of the bond that the handlers shared with these animals and how they must have felt. What has inspired me is how giving of themselves, service personnel are – they have and continue to put themselves on the line for us. When you combine that with the innocence of an animal and how they serve us humans so faithfully, it hit me strongly that we needed to do something and the idea for a national memorial – on federal land in our nation’s Capital – really crystalized.”
Susan’s intricate work features in the WWI memorial in Pozieres, France
Making dreams into plans
As daunting as the task felt at the beginning, Susan made strides to make her vision a reality. “While I believed the memorial should be in DC, I was concerned about how long it could take and how difficult it might be to secure permission for a D.C memorial. With that concern, I started looking around San Francisco for suitable sites, but everyone I spoke to said that Washington was the right place, so I spoke with the National Parks Service and the whole thing started to feel more doable.”
After that, Susan developed a website for the memorial and reached out to some key players in the K-9 world, to ask for their support. “I approached a number of experienced voices from the military K-9 community, such as John Burnham and Ron Aiello, along with a number of advocates and experts from across the service animal space, for their support.”
Susan also set about creating a non-profit, in order to fundraise to make the memorial a reality: “In order to do something like this, I also realized that we needed to be a 501c3 but in twist of good fortune, an animal related nonprofit in San Francisco that I was on the board of was winding down, offering us the chance to take over their organization with our mission.”
With a board of volunteer directors in place and a platform on which to fundraise for the monument, the team’s attentions had to turn to securing a home for the project, in Washington D.C.
Brush with the Law
Planning a memorial on federal land requires congressional approval and support, which would expose Susan and the board to a number of complexities.
“We needed a sponsor in Congress so I reached out to Senator Richard Blumenthal, who spoke at the dedication ceremony for the Sgt Stubby memorial, to see if he might be interested in being the lead on the bill.
“When he heard the story of what we were trying to do and agreed to support us at that level, I teared up. It was the first significant hurdle, but there were so many more to come.”
Sergeant Stubby
In order to have the bill passed, Susan and her team had to present to a congressional committee as to why the project has broad and lasting historical significance in American history. “After our 20-minute presentation we assembled 30 people to speak for one minute each, including the likes of a Vietnam dog handler who talked about leaving his dog behind. There were so many compelling stories told; it was incredibly moving. Those stories played an important role in showing to that gathered committee, just how much this memorial will mean to the American people.
“We received unanimous approval from the committee which meant that the National Service Animals Memorial bill was eligible to be introduced.”
Thanks to the hard work of Susan and her team of volunteer board members, the bipartisan bill passed in 2022 and President Biden signed it in 2023.
Next Steps and Future Plans
The next phase for the memorial is site selection in Washington D.C. “We are working with a consultant in D.C. to look at where the best place for the memorial will be. We want to get the best possible location: Somewhere that allows for both reflection and celebration, while being accessible.
“It should be a nine-month process from start to finish and possibly longer if additional legislation is required once the site is identified.”
US War Dogs has made a contribution towards to the site selection costs, helping to ensure that the process runs smoothly and without funding interruptions.
US War Dogs president, Chris Willingham, said: “We wholeheartedly support the commemoration and celebration of our nation’s military K-9s and having a national memorial in our Capital absolutely needs to happen. The board and I felt like this was the right time for War Dogs to step in and support with funding towards the next stage of the project, and we are excited to see Susan’s incredible vision brought to life.”
On War Dogs’ donation to the project, Susan said: “We really needed an angel and US War Dogs has made this next phase happen. We couldn’t be more grateful to the team for their generosity – fundraising is hard work! To have the next phase catered for and covered means that progress really can gather some pace.
“We’re currently estimating the cost at $20 million to build the memorial but will have a more accurate number through the site selection process. After site selection we will go to the Fine Arts Commission for design approval. It is my hope that all animal-loving Americans will support the memorial in some way – large or small – to help us reach that goal of honoring service animals and their handlers on a national scale.
“After all, this is a memorial for all of us to celebrate the human/animal bond that, once you’ve been touched by it, can’t be ignored.”
Impressions of how the National Service Animals Memorial could look in Washington D.C.
Skill and Will
Reflecting on the story so far for the National Service Animals Memorial, Susan is quick to acknowledge the work of the board: “All five of us on the board have really helped to make everything happen. The board has their whole hearts in this project and I know that between us, we will make it successful.”
With a long road still ahead, how does Susan and the team stay motivated? “We are all driven to do the right thing and bring honor to the animals and the people who work with them. As we move through this process, we keep that front and center of everything we do. “
“By bringing this memorial to life, it is also our hope that it works to raise the status of all animals in society, ensuring that they are treated with kindness and respect, in all cases. The National Service Animals Memorial will be a place of honor, inspiration, education, and healing, and we hope that it will bring comfort to anyone whose life has been enhanced by an animal.”
“The memorial itself is designed to bring everyone together, as we can all agree that these unsung heroes are worthy of honor in this way.”
To find out more about the National Service Animals Memorial, click here.
