The 97th Infantry Division Memorial was unveiled during the Liberation Festival

The unveiling of the memorial to the 97th Infantry Division, which participated in the liberation of western Bohemia, took place on Saturday, 3 May, as part of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Pilsen by the US Army. The memorial, designed by architect David Foud, which carries the story of the 97th Infantry Division's journey through Europe, is located in a park off Křimická Street in Skvrňany.

Christina Pieper Bigelos, the daughter of Richard Pieper, a member of the 97th Infantry Division, who has been attending the Freedom Celebration since 1995, approached the city administration with the idea of creating the memorial. Richard Pieper enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 when he was 19 years old. After training, he ended up with the 97th Infantry Division, which was trained for landings in the Pacific theaters, but was eventually deployed to Europe, where it arrived in February 1945. Richard Pieper gained his first combat experience at Maindorf, Germany, and his unit then took part in the famous bridge fight at Remagen in March. It liberated the concentration camp Flossenburg and before arriving in Pilsen also Cheb, Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary, its soldiers reached the monastery in Teplá. Richard Pieper died in the spring of 2023 at the age of 99. His last visit to Pilsen was in 2022.

The unveiling of the memorial was attended by Harry Humason, a ninety-nine-year-old war veteran who participated in the liberation of western Bohemia, General Patton's grandson Geroge Waters, and other members of the families of American veterans, in addition to representatives of the city, its author David Foud.