MOBILE, Ala. — A drive begun six months ago to raise $125,000 for a memorial honoring the nearly 100 Alabamians lost while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq will get a boost this weekend. Country singing sensation and Leroy, Ala. native Ashton Shepherd will perform Sunday, Nov. 2, at 4:30 p.m., at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. Fireworks will follow.

Tickets to see the MCA recording artist are $20 for adults and $10 for those age 18 and under. Shepherd has waived her performance fee for this special concert as her way of honoring the state’s war heroes.

Nathan Cox, who heads up the effort to build the memorial, is a former U.S. Marine Infantry Officer and Iraq veteran who was injured four years ago during the War on Terror. He said the memorial will honor those who died and comfort those they left behind.

“It’s definitely be important for these families to show their kids and grandkids,” he said. Eleven of those lost lived in Baldwin and Mobile counties, he added.

Cox said 65 Marines served directly under him, and one of those was killed. He noted, “It’s a heavy load to carry with you, but you live with it. This memorial is our way of saying ‘thanks.’”

He said Spanish Fort dentist and artist Barry Booth approached him with the idea of adding the memorial to Battleship Park, which already honors those who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Cox met Shepherd’s manager at the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach when the singer opened for Montgomery Gentry.

“Her manager said it’s something she wanted to do,” he said. “She’s (relatively) local and patriotic. It’s worked out well.”

Cox said the money should all be in place next fall. The fundraising effort has already brought in $50,000 from individuals, businesses, a successful golf tournament that featured 130 players, and major donations from Alabama Power and TimberCreek Land Co.

Organizers hope to sell 5,000 tickets to the event, which will also feature a tribute to the fallen.

“We’ve invited all the families (of those killed) in the state,” Cox said. “We’ll honor their families.”

The memorial will likely be built directly across the entrance drive from the Korean and Vietnam war memorials, he said. Once all the funds are raised, a call for artist submissions will go out, and a competition will be held to select the best and most appropriate design. Completion of the memorial is two to three years away.

Cox said he lost four close friends and Marines in this war, as well as more than a dozen others he served with in some capacity. He pointed out it’s important their sacrifice not be forgotten.

“Showing another generation’s war will hopefully be another great addition to the park,” Cox said.

The 22-year-old Shepherd’s current album, “Sounds So Good,” has climbed up the country charts featuring songs like the title track, “Pickin’ Shed” and “Takin’ Off This Pain.”

Tickets to the concert may be purchased at the Battleship Park front gate, as well as other locations in Baldwin and Mobile counties. Call the battleship office at (251) 433-2703 for ticket locations.

The Battleship Commission has agreed to allow concert ticket holders to tour the park free of charge, beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and allow tours of the battleship at half price.

If you are unable to attend the concert, but would like to contribute to the memorial effort, send a check earmarked for the fund to the USS Alabama Foundation, Attention: Iraq/Enduring Freedom Memorial, P.O. Box 65, Mobile, AL 36601-0065.