Katy for Kansas
June 9, 2026 · Newsletter
My Dad Helped Build the WWII Memorial. This Week, It Reminded Me Why I’m Running.
When I joined this race, I promised my kids that they’d still get a summer vacation. So we’ve spent the last week visiting my in-laws in Maryland. Yesterday, we journeyed into DC to see some of the sights. My kids had never been to the national mall so we started there. As I walked around the WWII memorial, I was overcome by emotion. This memorial has special meaning to my family.
First of all, both of my grandfathers served in WWII. My mom’s father was stationed in Alaska with the U.S. Coast Guard. My dad’s father was a Captain in the U.S. Army. We owe them and countless others a deep debt of gratitude for their service.
On a similarly personal note, a large portion of the bronze and ornamental metal work on the memorial—from the bronze wreaths and ropes to the gold stars—were cast at our family’s bronze foundry in Oregon. My dad was always a dreamer and there was no project too big. So, even though the foundry he ran was in the little town of Joseph, Oregon—population approximately 1200—he thought they could do the work. He submitted a bid and got it. And the majority of that metal work was cast in that small town by everyday Americans like me and you.
The WWII Memorial was officially unveiled on Memorial Day weekend 2004, while I was still a senior at Stanford. I flew to DC to meet my folks and my brother for the unveiling. Little did I know that I’d meet my future husband that weekend. Shawn and I met on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend 2004 in downtown Washington DC, and my life hasn’t been the same since. Had my dad not won the contract to do that work, I may never have met my husband.
Combine all that with the fact that I lost my dad three years ago and haven’t returned to the WWII memorial since I was there with him and my mom in 2012, the hot July weekend that Shawn and I got married. I miss him every single day. Yesterday, I felt his influence on me everywhere I turned.
Lastly, I was overcome by the weight of the memorial itself—and the sacrifices that so many brave men and women made to secure freedom for future generations. The base of one of the flag poles reads “Americans came to liberate, not conquer. To restore freedom and end tyranny.” If that doesn’t resonate with folks in this moment, then you’re not paying attention. Authoritarianism and fascism are on the rise once again, and it’s not yet clear whether or not liberal democracy will prevail.
That’s what is at stake in this fall’s elections. Are we going to let the Greatest Generation’s sacrifices be in vain? Or are we going to stand up for freedom and equality? The choice is ours.
#KatyforKansas #KS04 #Sacrifice #FamilyVacay #WWIIMemorial
