The sacrifices made by men and women in military conflicts
receive special tribute in the U.S. capital.
The sacrifices made by men and women in military conflicts receive special tribute in the U.S. capital.
While many monuments in Washington honor the accomplishments of great Americans, most notably Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, others serve as lasting reminders of the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country.
Several war memorials in the District and nearby Arlington, Va., that pay tribute to military conflicts are well known, but there also are a few that don’t receive as much attention from residents and visitors. But in every instance, the monuments create a special place for remembrance and reflection. Here, we highlight a few spots that pay tribute to the sacrifices of our soldiers.
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR (1861-1865)
n African American Civil War Memorial: No single monument in D.C. calls attention to the federal soldiers that died during the Civil War in 1860s. But perhaps the most notable is the African American Civil War Memorial in northwest Washington, dedicated on July 18, 1998. A 10-foot-tall sculpture features uniformed black soldiers and a sailor, and is surrounded by a semicircular Wall of Honor that lists the names of more than 200,000 black soldiers who served in the Union Army during the conflict.
n Civil War Unknowns: At Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., another monument, dedicated in September 1866, pays tribute to the unknown dead soldiers of the Civil War. The monument stands atop a masonry vault containing the remains of 2,111 soldiers. The Civil War unknowns monument is located near Arlington House – the former home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee – and was the first memorial dedicated to the unidentified that died in battle.
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR (1898)
Visitors to Arlington National Cemetery will see the United Spanish War Veterans Memorial, also known as the Hiker, on Memorial Drive as they approach the cemetery. On the monument, a solitary figure in uniform stands on a base that displays a bronze cross bearing the names of the four theaters of service for the war: Cuba, Puerto Rico, the United States and the Philippine Islands. It was erected by veterans of the war with Spain and was dedicated at a ceremony on July 24, 1965.
WORLD WAR I (1914-1918)
While no official monument pays specific tribute to the 2 million Americans that served during the First World War, one special site in Arlington National Cemetery acknowledges the nation’s participation in the conflict. The Argonne Cross holds the remains of about 2,100 soldiers that were re-interred at Arlington in the early 1920s. The Argonne Cross is located amid a grove of 19 pine trees, which symbolize the Argonne Forest in France where many of the men fought and died. An inscription on the base of the monument reads: “IN MEMORY OF OUR MEN IN FRANCE 1917-1918.”
WORLD WAR II (1939-1945)
n World War II Memorial: The most recent addition to Washington’s major monuments, the World War II Memorial honors the commitment and sacrifice of 16 million members that served in the U.S. armed forces, the more than 400,000 who died and the millions that supported the war effort on the home front. The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated a month later. Designed by architect Friedrich St. Florian, the World War II Memorial focuses on the war’s Pacific and Atlantic theaters, with 12 bas-relief panels dedicated to key aspects and battles of the war, such as Pearl Harbor, the Normandy Beach landings, submarine warfare and women in the military.
n Marine Corps War Memorial: The iconic Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., depicts the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, during World War II. The memorial was modeled after Joe Rosenthal’s famous picture of the soldiers. Dedicated on Nov. 10, 1954, the memorial, created by sculptor Felix de Weldon, honors all the U.S. Marines that have died for their country.
KOREAN WAR (1950-1953)
Sculptor Frank Gaylrod’s 19 larger-than-life stainless-steel statues of American soldiers on patrol makes the Korean War Veterans Memorial one of the most evocative of D.C.’s war monuments. The memorial includes a 41-panel black granite wall inscribed with images of those who served and the motto “Freedom is not Free.” President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young Sam dedicated the memorial on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to more than three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula.
VIETNAM WAR (1961-1975)
The names of nearly 58,000 Americans who died or remain missing in action are listed on two polished black granite walls at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Designed by Maya Ying Lin, the memorial was opened to the public on Nov. 13, 1982. After some veterans objected to Lin’s sculpture, which they felt did not show the heroism or patriotism found in other memorials, the Three Servicemen Statue, created by Frederick Hart, was added near the wall in the fall of 1984. On Nov. 11, 1993, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was included in the area to pay tribute to women’s role in the war. Glenna Goodacre’s sculpture shows three women helping a wounded soldier.
