Considering the destruction of art, historical buildings and monuments in the Ukraine and other war torn locations.  I felt it was good to bring up these guys once again.

The Monuments Men and Women Foundation honors the legacy of the men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section, known as the “Monuments Men,” and their unprecedented and heroic work protecting and safeguarding civilization’s most important artistic and cultural treasures from armed conflict. During its first decade of operations, the Foundation successfully raised worldwide awareness about the Monuments Men and Women through film, television, and books, honored their military service through the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, and preserved their legacy through a partnership with the National World War II Museum making the Foundation’s incomparable archives and artifacts accessible to students and scholars around the world. In October 2019, the Museum broke ground on its Liberation Pavilion, which will feature a permanent exhibition about the Monuments Men and Women, the first of its kind. 

As the Foundation begins its second decade of operations, its focus will now shift to longer term objectives. In addition to locating and returning works of art and other cultural objects to their rightful owners, the Foundation will put the remarkable legacy of the Monuments Men and Women to work through custom-designed programs that not only educate and inform our youth, but challenge them to become the Monuments Men and Women of tomorrow. With world governments facing ever increasing demands for funding, no nation has the financial resources to fund the preservation of all of its national treasures. Consequently, preserving our shared cultural heritage for future generations depends on informing and inspiring our youth to meet the challenges ahead. It is an ambitious agenda, but one that pales in comparison to the challenge confronting the handful of Monuments Officers who conceived of the concept of cultural preservation officers in the midst of the most destructive war in history, without the use of any tools of technology. What they achieved not only informs the mission of the Foundation, it will serve as an inspiring guide to students, educators, military and world leaders, and the general public.

For More Information: The Monuments Men & Women