WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A former Broadway singer and heiress to the National Enquirer fortune will see her yearslong fight for a memorial to disabled veterans come to an end this weekend, with a dedication ceremony in Washington.

Lois Pope says she was awakened to the struggle of disabled veterans when she performed in the 1960s at a New York hospital where some were recovering. She remembers reaching toward a patient while singing to him but realizing he had no hand to hold.

She says she vowed to someday do something on behalf of disabled veterans. Years later, she visited Washington and was surprised to learn no memorial to them existed. Since then, the 81-year-old Palm Beach socialite has lobbied and given $10 million to the cause.

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will be dedicated Sunday. Pope is scheduled to speak.

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