Fans, family and friends of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are working to ensure that those who have died in combat are memorialized. The work to install a granite memorial in Memorial Park on Joint Base Lewis-McChord is getting underway and they need your help.

"This is a labor of love on my part, but it is for such a good reason - I needed to do this," stated Angela Crabtree, who serves as chairperson for the Lancer Brigade Memorial committee and is an active board member for the Lancer Soldier and Family Fund. "The other Stryker brigades at JBLM have memorials and we do not have one to represent our soldiers."

The Lancer Fund, which was established in 2011, is a nonprofit group dedicated to sustaining the memories of the fallen soldiers from the brigade and supporting those who are currently serving in the brigade.

"This is for the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice, the soldiers who served along with those who were killed, the families and for the entire brigade," said Crabtree, whose husband, Stephen, has been with the brigade since 2008.

The memorial will represent the lives lost during both the deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2009-2010, when the brigade was still known as 5/2, as well as the 2012-2013 deployment to Afghanistan after the brigade had been reflagged as 2/2.

"We put together the plans, we get it funded and then it is gifted to the Army, so the Secretary of the Army has to sign off on the proposal before we can move forward," she said.

The goal is to have the Lancer Memorial funded, constructed and dedicated by August of 2014. They currently have oral commitments from both Skanska and BCRA Design, which both plan to donate materials, time and labor to the cause.

"We have the granite selected (it will come directly from Norway) and the design secured, so now we need to work on fundraising," she explained. "We have half of the money required for the deposit on the granite. We are now looking for donations of any size to help us reach our goal."

Presently, the estimated cost for the project is $75,000; any additional funds raised will be used in support of the other large-scale goals of the fund, such as supporting wounded warriors, support during memorial services and providing emergency monetary loans to the families of deployed soldiers.

To donate, send a check to: Lancer Soldier and Family Fund, ?P.O. Box 33219, Fort Lewis, WA 98433. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information on the memorial, the fund itself or to get involved, contact Crabtree at notintexasanymore@yahoo.com or visit lancerfund.org.