A group of Manassas-area businessmen are trying to honor fallen soldiers, but have no place for the memorial.

Silent Thunder is a 7-foot tall, more than 28-foot long black granite memorial that will feature the more than 2,500 killed in combat during Desert Storm and the current war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The granite is erected outside of Manassas’ Eastern Memorials as it waits for a permanent home.

The brainchild of Iranian immigrant Kevin Roustazad, Silent Thunder would serve as a “living memorial” where people can come and remember their loved ones now, without having to wait 20 years, Roustazad said.

“This is my way to say thank you for [me] getting an education … and having my shot at the American dream,” he said.

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The memorial would have the name, birth and death dates, hometown, branch of service, rank and the last place the soldier served engraved in it with a ceramic photo embedded in the stone.

“As you stand [at the memorial], thousands of pairs of eyes will be staring at you. If you can’t feel the thunder from that, I don’t know what will move you,” Roustazad said, explaining the memorial’s name.

The Silent Thunder Foundation is awaiting its official nonprofit recognition from the state, said Troy Tanner, a member of the memorial’s board. Then official fundraising and actively securing a location can begin, he said.

Several smaller donations and in-kind donations have been made, including the materials for the ceramic photos.

Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sean Connaughton has asked the county to look into where the memorial can be erected. Both Connaughton and the foundation think the perfect place would be on at the rest stop on northbound Interstate 95 near Potomac Mills.

“It makes a lot of sense. It is a very fitting tribute that we can ensure a lot of people see and geographically, it is located between the Marine Corps and Army national museums,” Connaughton said.

Both national museums are being built either on or beside their respective bases, Fort Belvoir and Quantico.

Once the nonprofit foundation is recognized by Virginia, Tanner hopes preliminary interest from state and federal officials will become official support.

For information

Silent Thunder Memorial for Freedom on the Web: www.silentthundermemorial.com

cgoodman@dcexaminer.com