General Wayne Downing Memorial

VETERAN EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

General Wayne Downing To Be Honored By Ross Perot, Vice Admiral William McRaven, Major General William Garrison(ret)

Perot, military dignitaries to attend Downing fundraiser
Educational wall one of the projects to honor late general.Zoom Photos. .The General Wayne A. Downing memorial statue.
   
By DAVE HANEY (dhaney@pjstar.com)
Journal Star
Posted Oct 04, 2010 @ 08:07 PM
Last update Oct 05, 2010 @ 12:00 AM
   
PEORIA — Texas billionaire and former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot is returning to Peoria to once again help honor the late Gen. Wayne A. Downing.

Perot will join Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, and retired Maj. Gen. William Garrison on Oct. 14 for the dedication of a garden in Downing’s honor.

They’ll also assist with fundraising for an “educational wall” to be located in the new terminal building at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport as well as for a veterans home and scholarship in Downing’s name.

“This is about keeping the legacy of General Downing alive,” said Sally Owens, who is helping organize the event that has been in the works since March.

A formal military ceremony will be held next to the 11-foot-tall sculpture of Downing – a gift from Perot – that now adorns the entrance to the airport. A choir from the U.S. Military Academy and a color guard will be present.

Owens said three retired Rangers also plan to parachute in for the event.

Downing, a retired four-star general, was the former commander of the nation’s Special Forces – considered the father of the modern-day Rangers – and was picked by President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to be the point man for counterterrorism efforts. Downing died July 18, 2007, at age 67 of complications from bacterial meningitis after his immune system was weakened by cancer. He was born in Peoria in 1940.

McRaven, the event’s keynote speaker, has commanded at every level within the special operations community, including assignments as Commander of SEAL Team Three and Task Unit Commander during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. McRaven assumed command of the Joint Special Operations Command in 2008.

Garrison spent 30 years in the U.S. Army and was the commander in charge of Task Force Ranger during Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia in 1993, which was portrayed in the film “Black Hawk Down.”

Perot, who knew Downing for some 30 years, told the Journal Star in 2008 that he commissioned the sculpture to honor his friend.

“I could tell you Wayne Downing stories forever,” Perot said then. “He was a wonderful man, a great general, great leader. … I want to make sure that Wayne is properly honored in his own hometown. Anything I can do to help, I ought to do. And so I think my little bit will be to get that big monument in his honor.”

Additional information:

What: Garden dedication and fundraiser honoring Gen. Wayne A. Downing

When: Oct. 14 beginning at 4 p.m.

Where: Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport

– The garden dedication is free and open to the public. It will be next to the Downing statue located at the airport’s entrance and include a formal military ceremony. Vice Adm. William McRaven, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, is the keynote speaker. He’ll be joined by dignitaries H. Ross Perot and retired Maj. Gen. William Garrison. U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, will serve as emcee of the event.

– A separate fundraiser dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. in the new terminal facility. General seating costs $150 each. Access to a VIP reception and photo opportunities with distinguished guests are available for $1,000 for one person or $2,500 for two. Tables also may be purchased.

– Proceeds go toward an “educational wall” to be placed in the airport terminal building as well as the Gen. Wayne A. Downing veterans home and a scholarship at Illinois Central College to assist children and spouses of fallen veterans.

http://www.generaldowning.org/video.html

– For more information, visit www.generaldowning.org

Dave Haney can be reached at 686-3181 or dhaney@pjstar.com.

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