We petition Arlington County to create a permanent memorial honoring USAID workers who served humanity

When the reports started coming that USAID was being shut down, it was hard to accept that it was really happening. It didn't hit many of us until they took down the memorial wall, a wall that contained the names of 99 people who made the ultimate sacrifice not only for our country, but for humanity everywhere.

Why This Matters
Beyond those 99 names, every person who has worked with the agency has sacrificed something to make the world a better place:

• Every Foreign Service Officer who left the comfort of home
• Every implementing partner who worked in difficult conditions
• Every institutional and personal services contractor who dedicated their expertise
• Every foreign and third country national who risked their own safety

All of us who have worked with USAID have sacrificed time, energy, and sometimes our safety to help make the world a better place.

The Memorial Site
We have identified a traffic circle in Arlington, just south of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center, as a fitting location for this memorial. All USAID Foreign Service Officers completed their training at this facility, making this location deeply significant.

Location: Traffic circle near National Foreign Affairs Training Center

This circle is tiny - just like the 0.3% of the federal budget that went to USAID. But the benefits that our country, and humanity as a whole, gained from the agency's work were far from insignificant.

What We're Asking For
We are asking Arlington County to officially designate this location (or another appropriate site in Arlington) as a memorial to USAID and all who served with the agency. This memorial would:

• Honor the 99 people memorialized on USAID's memorial wall who gave their lives in service
• Recognize the thousands of workers who sacrificed comfort, safety, and time
• Stand as a permanent reminder of American values of compassion and service to humanity
• Serve as a place of reflection for those who continue to believe in international development and humanitarian work

USAID's work may have been halted, but the spirit of service and the memory of those who gave everything cannot be erased.

Join us in asking Arlington County to make this memorial official.

This grassroots initiative began as an idea among friends and grew into something much more meaningful thanks to the dedication of volunteers who believe in honoring service to humanity.