HISTORY63 - Military Memorials in Washington D.C.

My last two blog articles covered the history of presidential memorials in Washington D.C.  In this article, I’ll talk about the history of Washington D.C.’s military memorials, with special emphasis on the memorials for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

I’ll start with an overview of the 19 military memorials in Washington D.C. (or very close by).  Then, I’ll cover the history of the memorials to the four major 20^th century wars, in the order that the wars were fought:  World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), and the Vietnam War (1959-1975).  For perspective, each memorial history will begin with a very short synopsis of the war that the memorial honors, followed by appropriate details of the memorial’s planning, design, and construction.  

My principal sources include: “17 military monuments, museums, and memorials in the D.C. area,” dc.curbed.com; “National World War I Memorial (Washington DC), “World War II Memorial,” “Korean War Veterans Memorial,” and “Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” Wikipedia; “How D.C.’s Newly Unveiled WWI Memorial Commemorates the Global Conflict,” smithsonianmag.com; “World War I Memorial,” nps.gov; “National World War II Memorial,” Britannica.com; “Korean War Memorial,” abmc.gov; and numerous other online sources.

Introduction

Washington D.C. offers numerous sites for those who wish to pay their respects to U.S. military members.   The table below lists 20 military monuments, museums, and memorials in and about our nation’s capital.  The memorials for the four major 20^th century wars are shown in bold type.

These are the 20 honorific military sites in the Washington D.C. area.  The four emphasis war memorials are shown in bold type.

No.	Memorial	Established	Location	Address
1	African American Civil War Museum	2004	Cardozo - off map to northeast	1925 Vermont Ave
2	American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial	2014	Southwest Waterfront	807 Maine Ave SW
3	District of Columbia War Memorial	1931	Northwest bank of Tidal Basin	1964 Independence Ave SW
4	Grand Army of the Republic Monument	1928	Just off northeast National Mall	600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
5	Korean War Veterans Memorial	1995	Southwest National Mall	10 Daniel French Dr SW
6	National Guard Memorial Museum	1976	East End - north of U.S. Capitol	1 Massachusetts Ave NW
7	National Museum of American Jewish Military History	1958	Off map to northwest	1811 R St NW
8	National Museum of the U.S. Army	2020	About 16 miles southwest of Washington D.C.	1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir VA
9	National World War I Memorial	2021	Southeast of White House in former Pershing Park	Pennsylvania Ave NW, btwn 14th St NW and 15th St NW
10	Navy Merchant Marine Memorial	1940	Southwest of Ronald Reagan National Airport	Mount Vernon Trail
11	Old Soldiers Home	1851	Petworth - off map to north	140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW
12	Tomb of the Unknown Soldier	1921	Arlington National Cemetery	Arlington National Cemetery VA
13	U.S. Air Force Memorial	1992	South edge of Arlington National Cemetery	1 Air Force Dr, Arlington VA
14	U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima)	1954	North edge of Arlington National Cemetery	U.S. Marine Memorial Circle, Arlington VA
15	U.S. Navy Memorial	1987	Penn quarter - just north of National Mall	701 Pennsylvania Ave NW
16	Ulysses S. Grant Memorial	1924	Truxton Circle	1st St NW
17	Vietnam Veterans Memorial	1982	Northwest National Mall	5 Henry Bacon Dr NW
18	Vietnam Women’s Memorial	1993	Northwest National Mall	5 Henry Bacon Dr NW
19	Women in Military Service for America Memorial	1997	Arlington National Cemetery	Arlington National Cemetery VA
20	World War II Memorial	2004	East edge of Reflecting Pool	1750 Independence Ave SW

 

Note that these four primary war memorials in Washington D.C. were not established in the same order that the wars were fought.  Surprisingly (to me at least), the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial was established just seven years after the end of the war, perhaps the most controversial American war in the 20^th century.  The Korean War Veterans Memorial took 42 years after the war’s end to be established, and the World War II Memorial was established 59 years after the conflict ended.   Most surprising to me, is that it took over a century, 103 years, for a memorial to World War I to be established, to honor those who fought in the Great War, “the war to end all wars.”

Admittedly, establishing a memorial in Washington D.C. is not a simple process.  I’ll try to shed some light on this when I discuss the four primary war memorials.

The following map provides a geographical reference for the location of the 20 honorary military sites.  The locations of the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are specifically identified on the map.  The location (not shown) of the newly-unveiled National World War I Memorial is along Pennsylvania Avenue, between 14^thStreet NW and 15^th Street NW.

 

Map of the Washington D.C. area.  North is up.  The National Mall, shown in green, extends east-west from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.

The four major 20^th century war memorials are all national memorials, and as such they are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places and maintained by the National Park Service.

National World War I Memorial

WORLD WAR I (1914-1918):  The First World War began in 1914, and it was fought between the Allied Powers (which included the Russian Empire, the British Empire, France, the Empire of Japan, Italy, and the U.S.) and the Central Powers (which included the Ottoman Empire, the German Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria). The war ended with the victory of the Allied Powers in 1918.  U.S. service member numbered 4,743,800, of whom there were 116,708 deaths and 204,002 wounded.

Introduction.  The National World War I Memorial is located at the former Pershing Park, 1.76-acres along Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 14^th Street NW and 15^th Street NW, across from the White House Visitor Center.   Built by the United States World War I Centennial Commission, and designed by architect Joseph Weishaar, the memorial incorporates the existing memorial (1981) to Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during the war. The memorial also includes a Peace Fountain, a cascade of water behind an excerpt from the poem “The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak” by Archibald MacLeish; engraved quotes and references to theaters of action, campaigns and battles in which American forces participated; and exhibits about the role of the United States in World War I.

The National World War I Memorial’s formal unveiling occurred on April 16, 2021, but the memorial’s central feature, a sculpture titled “A Soldier’s Journey,” is not yet complete, scheduled for installation in 2024. (For now, a canvas featuring sketches showing the future sculpture stands in its place.)  The 58-foot-long, 12-foot-tall bas-relief sculpture by Sabin Howard will feature 38 figures depicting the journey of an American soldier, who takes leave from his wife and daughter, charges into combat, sees men around him killed, wounded, and gassed, and recovers from the shock to come home to his family.

The National World War I Memorial, with the incomplete “A Soldier’s Journey” sculpture in the background.

 

Design and Construction.  There were two early memorials to World War I:  the Liberty Memorial, a 217-foot-tall tower with an artificial burning pyre atop it, located in Kansas City, Missouri, completed in 1926; and the District of Columbia War Memorial, on the National Mall, completed in 1931.  But no national memorial commemorating World War I was erected over the next 90 years, which upset World War I veterans.

Prior to these two memorials, in 1921, the United States Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American serviceman from World War I in Arlington National Cemetery.  This became the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to deceased U.S. service members from succeeding wars, whose remains have not been identified.  Subsequently, unknown service member remains from World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam have been interred there.

U.S. Congress legislative efforts to create a national memorial to World War I began in 1987, and continued aggressively, but unsuccessfully until 2015.  The key debate was whether to declare one (or both) of the two existing “local” memorials as national memorials, or to construct a new memorial in Washington D.C.

The push for a national World War I memorial in the nation’s capital arose from the successful effort to establish the World War II Memorial that was completed in 2004.  See below.

In 2011, the World War I Centennial Commission was formed to try to resolve the arguments.  Finally, in 2015, the National Defense Authorization Act authorized the World War I Centennial Commission to build a new memorial in Pershing Park.

In 2015, the Centennial Commission launched a competition for building a National World War I Memorial, centered on Pershing Park’s redesign.  In January 2016, from more than 350 entries, the Commission chose the winning memorial design:  "The Weight of Sacrifice,” by a team consisting of Joseph Weishaar, a 25-year-old architect; sculptor Sabin Howard; landscape architect Phoebe Lickwar; and GWWO Inc., a Baltimore architect firm. 

In December 2019, it was announced that the memorial had received its building permit, and construction began.  The first phase of the project included rebuilding the existing park, with the addition of a peace fountain, pool basin, multiple berms and plazas, and groves of trees. 

Sabin Howard is currently sculpting 38 figures for the bronze relief that is 10% larger than life-size in his studio in New Jersey.  Each figure takes 600 hours of work, even with 3D-printed models.  The sculpture is expected to be completed in 2024.

The in-work sculpture has faced criticism for depicting Black soldiers fighting alongside white ones.  In reality, most Black soldiers who served during World War I were limited to labor battalions.  Combat units were also segregated. 

World War II Memorial

worlD WAR II (1939-1945):  The Second World War started in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. It was fought between the Axis Powers (which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (which were made up of the British Empire, the USSR, and the U.S). The war ended with the capitulation of Germany and Japan in 1945.  The Warsaw Pact and NATO were created, and the Cold War began.  U.S. service members numbered 16,353,700, of whom there were 407,316 deaths and 670,846 wounded.

Introduction.  The World War II memorial is located on a 7.4-acre site on the east end of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, opposite the Lincoln Memorial, and west of the Washington Monument.  The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004; its official dedication took place a month later, on May 29^th.

 

The World War II Memorial is shown in the foreground, with the Lincoln Memorial to the west, at the far end of the Reflecting Pool.  

The main part of the memorial is an elliptical plaza about 337 feet long and 240 feet wide, sunk six feet below grade.  In the center of the plaza is a pool with fountains and water jets. 

Along the inside walls of the memorial are 24 bronze bas-reliefs illustrating, on the north side, the war in Europe and, on the south side, the war in the Pacific.  Both sets of panels incorporate imagery of the war effort on the home front as well. 

Two arches, 43 feet in height, mark the midpoints on the north and south sides of the plaza.  They incorporate bronze columns bearing American eagles, World War II victory medals, and inscriptions noting the victories in the European and Pacific theaters of operations.  The northern arch is inscribed with "Atlantic,” the southern one, "Pacific"

Around the perimeter of the ellipse, stand 56 granite pillars, 17 feet high, that represent the U.S. states and territories (at the end of World War II in 1945) as well as the District of Columbia.  Each of the 56 pillars bear wreaths of oak symbolizing military and industrial strength, and of wheat, symbolizing agricultural production.  The pillars are linked with a bronze sculpted rope, symbolizing the country’s unified effort during the war.

A Freedom Wall is located on the west side of the plaza, nearest the Reflection Pool, with a view of the Reflecting and Lincoln Memorial behind it.  The Freedom Wall has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war.   In front of the wall, lies the message: "Here we mark the price of freedom.” 

The World War II Memorial looking towards the Washington Monument.  From left to right, note the “Atlantic” Arch, the granite pillars, and the fountain.

 

Design and Construction.  In 1993, after much discussion, the U.S. Congress passed the World War II Memorial Act, authorizing the construction of a national memorial.

In 1994, a 12-member Memorial Advisory Board was appointed to advise officials in picking the site, designing the memorial, and raising money to build it.

Over the next months, several sites were considered; the selection of the Rainbow Pool site, situated between the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (to the west), and 17^th Street NW (to the east), was announced on October 5, 1995.

The Rainbow Pool was a reflecting pool, constructed in 1924. The pool was named the Rainbow Pool after it was noticed that its 124 nozzles created a "perfect rainbow" when turned on.

This was a controversial development, as the Rainbow Pool had a central, visible location between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.  The debate over the World War II memorial's occupation of the space had to be resolved by legislation from the U.S. Congress in 2001, which allowed the building of the memorial to proceed.

A nationwide design competition drew 400 submissions from architects from around the country.  Friedrich St. Florian's design, evoking a classical monument, was selected in 1997.  The design was required to incorporate the Rainbow Pool fountain.

Ground was broken in September 2001. The construction was managed by General Services Administration.

The triumphal arches were crafted by Rock of Ages Corporation.  Sculptor Raymond Kaskey created the bronze eagles and two wreaths that were installed under the arches, as well as the 24 bronze bas- relief panels that depict wartime scenes of combat and the home front.  The twin bronze wreathes decorating the 56 granite pillars around the perimeter of the memorial - as well as the 4,048 gold-plated silver stars representing American military deaths in the war - were cast at Valley Bronze in Joseph, Oregon.  The John Stevens Shop designed the lettering for the memorial and most of the inscriptions were hand-carved in situ.

In 2014, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act directed the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial, a suitable plaque inscribed with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day:  "Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity," 

The plaque is intended to be dedicated in late 2022.

Korean War Veterans Memorial

KOREAN WAR (1950-1953):  In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and the nations that were allied with the U.S. (the UN) intervened on behalf of the South. The USSR and the People’s Republic of China supported North Korea.  The Korean conflict ended in 1953. The Korean Demilitarized Zone was established.  U.S. service members numbered 5,764,100, of whom there were 33,651 deaths and 103,284 wounded.

Introduction.  The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial, and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.  It was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42^nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war

The main memorial is in the form of a triangle intersecting a circle.  A Mural Wall lies along the right-side (approach path) of the triangle: 164 feet long, 8 inches thick, constructed of more than 100 tons of highly polished "Academy Black" granite from California.  The Mural Wall was created by Louis Nelson and depicts soldiers, equipment, and people involved in the war - sandblasted into the wall.

Aerial view of the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  (Before the Remembrance Wall was added -see below.)

 

Within the walled triangle, are 19 stainless steel statues sculpted by Frank Gaylord and collectively called The Column.   Each statue is larger than life-size, between 7 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 6 inches tall; each statue weighs nearly 1,000 pounds. The figures represent a platoon on patrol, drawn from branches of the armed forces; fourteen of the figures are from the U.S. Army, three are from the Marine Corps, one is a Navy Corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear, and are dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes, which represent the rugged terrain of Korea.

Stainless steel statues of American platoon during Korean War.

 

Along the left-side (approach path) of the triangle, is the United Nations Wall, a low wall listing the 22 members of the United Nations that contributed troops or medical support to the war effort.

The circle contains the Pool of Remembrance, a shallow pool 30 feet in diameter, lined with black granite and surrounded by a grove of linden trees with benches. The trees are shaped to create a barrel effect, which allows sunlight to reflect on the pool.   Inscriptions list the numbers killed, wounded, missing in action, and held as prisoners of war.

In April 2021, portions of the memorial were closed in order for the National Park Service to begin work to integrate a 380-foot sloping Remembrance Wall, listing the names of the Americans and approximately 8,000 U.S. Army Korean augmentation forces who died in the conflict. The design integrates a circular three-foot, eight-and-one-half-inch, engraved wall into the outer edges of the linden tree grove surrounding the Pool of Remembrance. The memorial, with the new addition, was reopened on July 27, 2022, the 69^th anniversary of the Korean Armistice.

Newly-completed Remembrance Wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

 

Design and Construction.  The Korean War Veterans Memorial was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1986, with design and construction managed by the Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board and the American Battle Monuments Commission.

The initial design competition was won in 1986 by a team of four architects from Pennsylvania State University, but this team withdrew as it became clear that changes would be needed to satisfy the Advisory Board and reviewing agencies such as the Commission of Fine Arts.  A federal court case was filed and lost over the design changes.  The eventual design was by Cooper-Lecky Architects, who oversaw collaboration between several designers.

Groundbreaking for the Memorial occurred on June 14, 1992, Flag Day, and construction was started.

The companies and organizations involved in the construction were:  the Faith Construction Company, the Emma Kollie Company, the Cold Spring Granite Company, the Tallix Art Foundry, and the Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Mural Wall was fabricated by Cold Spring Granite Company.  The wall consists of 41 panels incorporating over 2,400 photographs of the Korean War, obtained from the National Archives.  The photos were enhanced by computer to give a uniform lighting effect and the desired size.  The reflective quality of the academy black granite created the image of a total of 38 statues, symbolic of the 38^th parallel and the 38 months of the war.  When viewed from afar, the wall also creates the appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea.

The 19 stainless steel statues were cast by Tallix Foundries of Beacon, N.Y.  The troops wear ponchos covering their weapons and equipment.  The ponchos seem to blow in the cold winds of Korea.

The point of the triangle enclosing the statues reaches into the circular pool.  Water is fed into the pool from its bottom, and it flows over small steps to give a pleasant rippling sound.  On the wall that extends into the pool area, written in 10-inch silver letters, is the reminder: “Freedom is not free.”

At the point of the triangle is the dedication stone, which reads:

“Our nation honors her sons and daughters
who answered the call to defend a country
they never knew and a people they never met”

A kiosk containing the Korean War Honor Roll stands at the west entrance of the memorial.  The Honor Roll computer contains the names and biographical data of all military personnel who lost their lives during the Korean War.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Vietnam War (1959-1975):   The Vietnam War was fought between the communist forces (of North Vietnam, Viet Kong, Khmer Rouge, the People’s Republic of China, USSR, North Korea, and Pathet Lao) and the anticommunist forces (of the U.S, South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Laos and the Khmer Republic).  The U.S. failed to prevent a communist takeover of the region.  The two Vietnams were united under a communist banner in July 1976.  Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam became communist states.  U.S. service members numbered 8,744,000, of whom there were 58,168 deaths and 303,635 wounded.

Introduction.  The Vietnam War Veterans Memorial is located in Constitution Gardens, adjacent to the National Mall, and just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial.  The two-acre site is dominated by the Memorial Wall, two long black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died or remain missing as a result of their service in Vietnam and South East Asia during the war.  The Memorial Wall was designed by American architect Maya Lin.

Each wall of the memorial is 246-feet 9-inches long, and composed of 72 black granite panels, polished to a high finish, with the names of the men and women being honored.  One wall points to the Washington Monument, the other to the Lincoln Memorial, meeting at an angle of 125 degrees.  The walls are sunken into the ground, with the earth behind them.  At their highest point (the apex where they meet), they are 10.1 feet tall, and they taper to a height of eight inches at their extremities.  The stone for the 144 panels was quarried in Bangalore, India.   A pathway for visitors extends along the base of the walls.  Directories of the names and their locations are located on nearby podiums at both ends of the memorial.

Night view of the Memorial Wall at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial.

 

The Memorial Wall was completed in 1982, but has since been supplemented with the addition of  the statue The Three Soldiers in 1984, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993.

The bronze statue of The Three Soldiers by Frederick Hart, is located a short distance from the Memorial Wall.  The statue and the wall appear to interact with one another, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their fallen comrades.

The Three Soldiers statue at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial.

  

The Women's Memorial was designed by Glenna Goodacre, and honors the women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War with a statue depicting three uniformed women caring for a wounded soldier.  It is located a short distance south of the Memorial Wall, north of the Reflecting Pool.  Eight yellowwood trees surround the sculpture, in honor of the eight servicewomen who gave their lives in Vietnam.

Women’s Memorial statue at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial.

 

A memorial plaque was dedicated in 2004, at the northeast corner of the plaza surrounding The Three Soldiers statue, to honor veterans who died after the war, as a result of injuries suffered in Vietnam.  The plaque is a carved block of black granite, three by two feet, inscribed:  "In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice."

Visitors to the memorial may take a piece of paper and place it over a name on the Wall and rub a wax crayon or graphite pencil over it as a memento of their loved ones.  Many visitors to the memorial leave sentimental items at the memorial.  Several thousand items are left at the memorial each year.

Design and Construction.  In 1979, four years after the fall of Saigon, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) was incorporated as a non-profit organization to establish a memorial to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War.

The impetus was veterans themselves, who desired a monument to their fallen comrades.

In 1980, the site near the Lincoln Memorial was chosen and authorized by Congress. (The  Munitions Building previously occupied that area.)

The VVMF decided to choose a design for the memorial through a national design competition, with a first prize of $20,000.  1,421 designs were submitted. The designs were displayed at an airport hangar at Andrews Air Force Base for the selection jury, in rows covering more than 35,000 square feet of floor space.  Finally, the jury selected the design by Maya Lin, featuring the Memorial Wall. 

Negative reactions to Maya Lin's design created a controversy; a compromise was reached by VVMF's agreement to add an appropriate statue at the site. The statue became Frederick Hart’s sculpture of “The Three Soldiers.”

In 1982, the revised design was formally approved, and ground was broken.  Stone from Bangalore, India, was chosen because of its reflective quality.  Cutting and fabrication of the panels were done in Barre, Vermont; the panels were then shipped to Memphis, Tennessee, where the names were inscribed.  The inscriptions were done with a photoemulsion and sandblasting process.  Typesetting of the original 57,939 names on the wall was performed by Datalantic in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The memorial was dedicated on November 13, 1982, as part of a five-day ceremony called the "National Salute to Vietnam Veterans." The statue, “The Three Soldiers,” was dedicated in 1984.  

The memorial has had some unforeseen maintenance issues.  Over 100 names were misspelled.  In some cases, the correction could be done in place.  In others, the name had to be chiseled again elsewhere, moving them out of chronological order.  Other names have remained in place, with the misspelling, at the request of the family.

In 1984, cracks were detected in the granite, and as a result, two of the panels were temporarily removed in 1986 for study.  More cracks were discovered in 2010.  (In 1990, the VVTF purchased several blank panels to use in case any were ever damaged; these were placed into storage at Quantico Marine Base.)  More cracks were discovered in 2010.  

 

I learned a lot with this exercise and am very impressed with the artistic design of these memorials to those who gave their lives to preserve our freedom.