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 Me