Operation Restore Hope monument

My name is Alex Wright.  I was the Gunnery Officer on board USS El Paso (LKA-117) from January 1993 to her decommissioning in April 1994.  During my time on El Paso, we participated in Operation Restore Hope which was the UN led effort to relieve a massive famine in the country of Somalia in 1993.  This operation was the precursor to the more widely known "Black Hawk Down" incident that happened later in 1993.   

Me in March 1993 during our transit from Norfolk to Somalia


I currently reside in the city of Peachtree Corners, GA and am on the board of the Peachtree Corners Veterans Monument Association. 



Our organization is currently constructing a Veterans Monument at the city's new Town Green (see link below).

https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/about/town-center

The monument will be dedicated to all veterans, deceased, living and future. 

This is our Facebook page where you can learn more about the project and follow our progress

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ptcvets/photos/?ref=page_internal

Groundbreaking for the monument (as you can see construction had already started behind us).  Official dedication is scheduled for June 15th.  


As part of the fundraising effort for this project, sponsorships for wall toppers (example of wall topper is second picture down) are being offered for $2,500.  The wall toppers will represent a historic timeline of our nations history from colonial times to present with the wall toppers in historical order.   Wars, historical events (such as the founding of the Naval Academy) and military operations of historical significance will form the content of the wall toppers.

I am attempting to raise the $2,500 to sponsor a wall topper for Operation Restore Hope in the name of all crews (1970-1994) of the USS El Paso (LKA-117).   I need your help to raise the full $2,500 in the next 30 days to ensure that Operation Restore Hope gets one of the wall toppers before installation of all the toppers is complete.

The last Commanding Officer of the El Paso, Rear Admiral Christopher Cole has endorsed this effort 

Admiral Cole (then Captain) and myself at the El Paso's decommissioning ceremony in April 1994


In the first picture you can see the monument under construction (dedication is scheduled for 1 June).    

https://www.peachtreecornersga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1801/160?backlist=%2f


https://www.ptcvets.net/


Please consider supporting this worthy cause and memorializing the El Paso's place in history.

Best Regards
Alex Wright
USS El Paso (1993-94) - Gunnery Officer