A pusher set passes by the Kimball War Memorial Building. In one of the unique moments of American history, black veterans who returned to the coalfields from World War I discovered that they had the same economic clout as their white brothers in arms. When they witnessed the War Memorial emerge in Welch, W.Va., they pushed for a war memorial of their own. After years of fund-raising and political pressure, on Feb. 11, 1928, the Kimball War Memorial for Colored Veterans of World War I was dedicated.