Portland, OR -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/04/2013 -- Beginning the day before Veterans Day, the Oregon WWII Memorial Foundation (Memorial Foundation) will kick off a multi-city tour to show off the future centerpiece of the Oregon WWII Memorial. Traveling on a 70-ft semi truck, the spectacular showpiece, a 33-ft, five-sided granite tower, will be erected in June 2014 on the grounds of the state capitol where it will live permanently. The tour’s stops and times will be updated daily at the Memorial Foundation’s web site: www.oregonwwiimemorial.com

“Veterans, their families and all Oregonians have long-deserved this memorial,” said Lou Jaffe, president of the Memorial Foundation. “This tour will allow us to provide them a sneak preview of what will be a lasting tribute to the Greatest Generation.”

The Memorial’s November stops include:

-Nov. 10: 1) 11:30am-1pm Elks Lodge, Forest Grove; 2) 3-4pm Elks Lodge Portland Gateway location
-Nov. 11: With 40,000 spectators, downtown Albany hosts the largest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi. http://albanyveteransdayparade.org
-Nov. 12: 4 pm-7pm Elks Lodge, Independence
-Nov. 13: 1) midday Lebanon Veterans Home 2) 5 pm-8pm Sweet Home Elks Lodge
-Nov. 14: 1) 10am-5pm Elks Lodge Eugene 357; 2) 5 pm – 8 pm Springfield Elks Lodge
-Nov. 15: 1) Cottage Grove Elks Lodge 2) Roseburg
-Nov. 16: Canyonville, Seven Feathers Casino
-Nov. 17: Keiser Elks Lodge

The tour will resume in early December with stops in Bend, the Dalles, Prineville and Madras. Information about the tour and the dates and times for the visits can be found on the website, by email to jlorang@OregonWWIIMemorial.com, or call 971 404 5154.

About the Oregon WWII Memorial Foundation
Oregon is one of only six states in the Nation without a WWII memorial to honor its resident veterans. In 2011, then Governor Ted Kulongoski and the Oregon Legislature formalized a task force and foundation, authorizing it to build an official memorial in Salem.

Founded in 2011, the solitary objective of Oregon World War II Memorial Foundation is to erect a WWII Memorial featuring a 33-ft, five-sided granite monument on the grounds of the Oregon State Capitol in June 2014. The Foundation’s goals are threefold: 1) Honor the men and women of Oregon who protected our State and our Nation in a war theater or on the home front; 2) Educate Oregonians of all ages on the war’s impact on the state; and 3) Remember the courage, shared sacrifice, honor, sense of duty to country, and community that characterized the spirit of the time and that continues to provide lessons for today. The foundation is more than 90 percent to goal. For more information, visit: www.oregonwwiimemorial.com