A statue of Doris Miller for the Doris Miller Memorial will be unveiled along the Brazos River on Thursday.
Miller was a Waco-born World War II hero. He was the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross.
Cultural Arts of Waco, a non-profit organization in Waco, started a project in 2009 to create a memorial to honor Doris Miller.
"There's wonderful history here. And some of that history seems to have gotten lost as Waco has developed," Doreen Ravenscroft, President of Cultural Arts of Waco, said.
The organization has been raising funds to create the memorial. They have raised $1.2 million so far, but they need $600,000 more.
Ravenscroft said some of the construction was set back, but the sculpture was finished on schedule.
"The sculpture takes two years to create. So arriving yesterday was very very emotional," Ravenscroft said.
Ravenscroft said it's important to have this memorial so people know who Doris Miller is and what he did for our country.
"Finally it's going to be really great to have an educational sculpture," Ravenscroft said.
There will be a ceremony to unveil the bronze statue at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Bledsoe-Miller Park in Waco.
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