District of Columbia War Memorial, courtesy of Wikipedia

Budget cuts in the US lead to cancellation of annual First World War memorial service

An annual memorial service held at the District of Columbia War Memorial in honour of those who served during the First World War has been cancelled due to budget cuts.

The cancellation comes in light of the US sequestration, whereby budget cuts came into force on 1st March 2013 in an attempt to tackle US federal and national debt.

A spokesman for a U.S. historic preservation group has contacted Centenary News about the cancellation of the memorial service, stating:

“Unfortunately, it is likely too late to avoid cancellation of the event this year. However, preservation groups and local advocates have offered to raise the money necessary to make sure the memorial event does occur in 2014. We want to see the U.S. do justice to the World War I centenary in a manner comparable to what is occurring in Europe”.

Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News