Tag: Washington DC

Over 100 Years Later, DC’s World War I Memorial Is Now Complete

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Each day, shortly before 5:00 pm, an individual in a First World War U.S. Army “Doughboy” uniform exits the stately Willard Hotel and crosses Pennsylvania Avenue, bound for the Washington DC area’s newest memorial, the National World War I Memorial.

The Doughboy carries a bugle, and positions themselves under the memorial’s flagpole. Precisely at 5:00 o’clock, the bugler plays the mournful notes of Taps. The bugle notes echo through the plaza inviting all who hear to pause and remember the 4.7 million American men and women who fought in World War I and especially the estimated 126,000 Americans who gave their lives in the “war to end all wars”.

Bugler in World War I uniform - World War I Memorial - Washington DC

A bugler in his World War I uniform

In a bit of irony, for over a century there has not been a national memorial in the capital city to World War I. There are other important World War I monuments in and around Washington, but not a single, focused and comprehensive national memorial to the war that shaped so much of the 20th century and America’s role within it. Yet that changed in 2021 when a partially constructed memorial was dedicated and opened to the public. Three years later, the final and dramatic piece of the memorial was installed capping a years long effort and bringing Washington, DC’s National World War I Memorial to fruition.

Pershing Park

The National WWI Memorial is located in what was formerly known as Pershing Park, a parcel of land originally laid out as part of the redevelopment of Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1970s.  Located between 14th and 15th Streets and Pennsylvania Avenue, the park was dedicated to General of the Armies John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) and formally opened in 1981.

The park featured an eight-foot-tall statue of Pershing standing straight and surveilling the horizon with his binoculars in hand. A wall perpendicular to the statue displayed maps and details of the AEF’s operations in Europe. 

The statue of General of the Armies John J. Pershing at the National World I Memorial

General John J. Pershing statue - National World War I Memorial - Washington DC

Also included were a fountain that could be converted to a skating rink during the winter months, a glass concession stand and sitting areas. Abundant landscaping was added to provide a natural setting within a busy urban corridor. Earthen berms covered with grass surrounded the park on three sides, shielding the grounds from traffic noise.  

Unfortunately, maintenance funds for the park’s unique features were scarce. Some aspects of the park fell into disrepair, trash accumulated and the landscaping neglected. 

However, when the World War I Centennial Commission went in search of a venue for a national memorial to World War I in the nation’s capital, it ultimately decided on a redesigned Pershing Park as the best location.  

Visitors walk through an open plaza at the National World War I Memorial.

Visitors walk through an open plaza at the National World War I Memorial.

With the clock ticking on the 100th Anniversary of the armistice, the commission expedited the truly lengthy process for approving new landmarks in Washington. The approach was not without controversy. Community and architectural groups grew concerned the new designs abandoned the original intent of an open green space in the middle of the city. 

Ultimately, in 2016, a design submitted by architect Joseph Weishaar was selected. His approach was to use the existing footprint of the 1.76 acre park situated in a busy downtown area just southeast of the White House. Weishaar retained Pershing’s statue, the AEF Wall and the earthen berms but planned new features that expanded the interpretation of World War I.

One new addition is known as the belvedere, a raised, enclosed circular area located near the northeastern entrance of the park.  The belvedere serves as the memorial’s orientation center. Interpretive signage installed along the interior of the wall familiarizes the visitor to “the Great War” and the roles played by American forces. The belvedere’s elevation provides clear lines of sight to the memorial’s features. 

Willard Hotel in the background of the belvedere at First World War Memorial.

The circular wall of the belvedere is inscribed with the campaign names of the First World War. In the background is the Willard Hotel.

A Soldier’s Journey

Across the plaza from the belvedere, over a shallow reflection pool is the most prominent aspect of the the new memorial, a large relief sculpture entitled A Soldier’s Journey by Sabine Howard.  The sculpture’s installation in September of 2024 completes the National World War I Memorial.

The sculpture stretches 58-feet long and includes 38 separate statues. Designed to be viewed from left to right, the sculpture tells the story of an American soldier’s experience across a series of tableaus. 

Howard and his team followed a meticulous process beginning with over 12,000 drawings and photographs of models in various poses, which he used to create foam models. These foam models were then covered in clay so accurately that every uniform crease, garment wrinkle, weapon detail, and facial expression were painstakingly rendered. The clay-covered models were then used to create the molds in which the bronze statues were cast.

Sabine Howard - sculpture - A Soldier's Journey
Sabine Howard’s sculpture “A Soldier’s Journey”

Howard used combat veterans as his models, believing their faces would more accurately portray the effects of war. All the uniforms and equipment used by the models were century-old artifacts, not reproductions. Through this extensive detail, Howard invites the viewer into the story.

The effort took about eight years to complete.  

The story begins with the soldier receiving his helmet from his young daughter. He then joins fellow soldiers as they march off. The next scene shows them charging at the enemy through no-mans land. The costs of war, both physical and psychological, are shown next as nurses comfort the afflicted while our soldier looks blankly at the viewer with a harrowing gaze. 

In a dramatic scene from the sculpture entitled the Ordeal, American soldiers charge the enemy.

A dramatic scene from the sculpture A Soldier's Journey at WWI Memorial in Washington DC

The soldier then returns home as part of a victory parade. In the last scene, the soldier hands the helmet back to his daughter. Rather than depicting a joyous scene, this one is foreboding. The soldier has a look of deep resolve on his face. The daughter stares into the helmet, wearing a troubled expression. She represents the Greatest Generation, who would soon take up the mantle once again and fight another war. 

Howard’s work is powerful and thought provoking, but the story told through the sculpture is a familiar one. With some changes to the uniforms and equipment, the story could be about any war. 

This was Howard’s desired effect.  He wanted a sculpture that asks the questions any war memorial should ask: Was it worth it? What did we gain? What did we lose? What did we learn? 

Other Features

On the reverse of the sculpture wall, water gently cascades over an inscription taken from a haunting poem entitled The Young Soldiers Do Not Speak by Archibald MacLeash. MacLeash’s poem is written from the perspective of deceased soldiers who tell the living that it is up to the them to give meaning to the lives the soldiers lost. MacLeash was a veteran of the First World War who became a noted writer, poet and editor. President Roosevelt appointed MacLeash as the Librarian of Congress in 1939. He wrote a poem in 1940 in honor of the Library of Congress staff who died in World War I. 


“We were young, they say, we have died, remember us”

– From The Young Soldiers Do Not Speak by Archibald MacLeash

A unique aspect of the memorial are the circular benches arrayed around the southern and western edges of the memorial plaza. Unlike similar war memorials in Washington, the inclusion of these sitting areas provides an appointed space available for rest and reflection, a gathering spot for friends or even an area for discussion about World War I. Trees and ornamental grasses around the memorial plaza provide a peaceful sense to aid in reflection.

Additionally, the live playing of Taps daily adds a human element to the stone and bronze of the memorial. The daily bugler initiative is coordinated by the Doughboy Foundation. Through the foundation’s website, members of the public can sponsor each day’s rendition in remembrance of an individual. The name of the day’s honoree and the scheduled bugler can be learned by scanning a QR code on a sign near the memorial’s flagpole. 

Bugler - Doughboy Foundation - bugler playing Taps

Taps is sounded daily at the National World War I Memorial.

The evolution of Pershing Park into Washington DC’s National World War I Memorial has brought new life and purpose into this downtown space. The area is now more inviting and interesting, drawing more people in to learn about the American role in World War I and to remember those who fought and died. 

At the dedication ceremony for the sculpture, Architect Joseph Weishaar remarked: “We don’t build memorials for the dead. They are for the living. We build them to protect and preserve our memories and our stories.”

While it seems so long ago, World War I continues to impact issues of the 21st century, such as the geopolitical situations of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the immigration system we know today, defense spending, women’s rights, and the role of America on the world stage to name only a few.

However, as World War I moves deeper into history, maintaining the stories and learning its lessons becomes imperative. For if we lose them, we lose a big piece of who we are.

Route Recon

The World War I Memorial is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The memorial is located in downtown Washington, DC between the intersections of 14th and 15th Streets Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The closest Metro Station is Federal Triangle, located about three blocks away on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines. Metro Center Station on the Red Line is located about flour blocks away to the north.

It’s Not Too Late to Commemorate D-Day!

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Are you heading to Washington, DC this summer rather than the beaches at Normandy, but still want to commemorate the D-Day anniversary?  Then save time for a visit to the National Museum of the US Army at Ft. Belvoir, VA for a very unique and compelling temporary exhibit entitled Freedom From Above.

This highly interactive experience uses advanced technology combining powerful, realistic imagery with key background information, allowing the viewer to develop a broader perspective than might be possible using a map or book, or viewing a movie or single artifact.

As the title suggests, the exhibit focuses on the experience of US airborne forces on June 6, 1944.

Detail of Utah Beach Area from US Army Center for Military History D-Day Commemorative Map

Early on D-Day morning, paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions deployed to areas to the rear of Utah Beach. Their mission was to secure road junctions, bridges and causeways behind Utah to facilitate the ground forces breakout from the beach, as well as to hinder German reinforcements from reaching the area. Poor weather conditions, anti-aircraft fire and confusion often lead to the paratroopers jumping far from their designated drop zones. Some paratroopers drowned landing in flooded fields or were shot after being caught on trees or buildings.

Yet they rallied.

Over the next few days, the airborne troops reestablished some unit cohesion, engaged the German defenders and were able to achieve some important mission objectives.

Freedom From Above exhibit space

Through the Freedom From Above exhibit, visitors encounter 16 large screens depicting images and scenery related to the paratroopers’ final preparations, transport, deployment and initial operations in Normandy. Visitors experience each scene with a small tablet computer called a Histopad. 

By using the Histopad to scan an image on a small platform adjacent to each large screen, visitors access the details, imagery and stories contained within the scene. Links embedded in the scene provide the viewer with additional details regarding people, objects or images portrayed on the Histopad’s screen.

Using the Histopad, a visitor unlocks the historical details and stories contained in the scene in front of them.

By turning completely around with the Histopad, the viewer gets a 360 degree perspective on the scene. Several of the scenes have a time travel scale, allowing the viewer to compare what an area looked like in 1944 to the same area today. Other scenes are more informational, depicting aircraft cockpits, the large (and heavy) amount of equipment a paratrooper carried and the routes the planes flew from bases in the United Kingdom into Normandy. 

The exhibit designers have embedded a digital relic hunt within the scenes. Find the ten relics, spread over the sixteen scenes and, after providing an email address, you can receive a special relic collectors certificate. It’s important to remember the Histopad allows you multiple vantage points within a scene. If you are relic hunting, be sure to look all around.

Successful digital relic collectors can earn a certificate.

The historic scenes begin in the briefing room housed in a Quonset hut on an airbase in England. Here paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division received their pre-deployment briefing. Around the room are short benches arranged in neat rows, and the walls are covered in flags, informational posters, signs and official notices. Visitors can open a field desk and explore its contents. (Hint: You might find a relic there.)

Additional scenes include well known events as well as planned operations such as Pathfinders marking a drop zone, glider aircraft deploying troops and heavy equipment, and a field hospital.

One scene is dedicated to the landing of Private John M. Steele of the 82nd Airborne Division at the village of Sainte-Mère-Église. Steele’s experience was prominently included in the 1962 film The Longest Day. Just after midnight Steele and his “stick” (a squad of Airborne soldiers jumping from an airplane) began landing in and around the center of the town. Steele’s parachute was caught on the Church’s steeple and he was suspended for two hours. He was eventually captured by German soldiers, but managed to escape four days later. 

Steele survived the war and became a local celebrity in the town. A replica of him and his parachute hang on the church today.

The stanchion with the photograph and story of Private John M. Steele, whose parachute was caught on the steeple of the church at Sainte-Mère-Église.

The Histopad provides a simulated view of how the town might have looked to Steele as he descended. Unfortunately, German soldiers were already on the town square that morning and many of Steele’s fellow stick members were quickly caught or killed as they landed. 

Although not as well known as landings and liberation of Sainte-Mère-Église, the battle at the La Fière bridge was an important, but costly victory for the 82nd Airborne in the days following the landings. The bridge was one of the principle objectives for the 82nd Airborne troops. 

By holding the bridge as well as eastern and western banks of the river it spanned, the paratroopers would allow ground forces on Utah Beach to quickly move inland while forestalling a wider German counterattack on American landing forces. Elements of 82nd engaged in an intense battle with German defenders over four days to capture and hold the bridge. The Histopad provides detailed information about the troop deployments around the bridge and allows the viewer to see up close some of the equipment used in the fight. 

The Freedom From Above exhibit scene depicting the bridge at La Fière.

In addition to the interactive experiences, stationary displays tell the unique stories of ten paratroopers who fought bravely on D-Day. These soldier stanchions include an image of the soldiers along with an excerpt of their story. Small images on the stanchions are also scannable, leading to a visual depiction of the soldier’s experiences, along with additional biographical information and, in some cases, period news footage.

Soldier stanchions with the images and details of D-Day paratroopers.

While the augmented reality of the exhibit is engaging, the National Museum of the US Army added a very moving feature to the exhibit. Only four Medals of Honor were awarded for heroic actions on June 6th, each to a US Army soldier. All four medals are on display together and each soldier’s story is presented at the entrance to the exhibit. This lends a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifices made by all the Allied soldiers on D-Day.

To complete the D-Day experience at the museum, visitors should certainly visit the Global War gallery on the first floor. The gallery’s World War II displays contain a number of artifacts from D-Day as well as equipment used by airborne forces during the war. 

The largest artifact is an LCVP, (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel), also known as a Higgins Boat. Andrew Higgins was a successful manufacturer of small maritime craft built to operate in marshes or swamps. He designed this type of landing craft with a very shallow draft, enabling it to operate in only two feet of water. The front ramp would drop down allowing up to 36 soldiers in combat gear to literally “hit the beach” then return to a ship for more men. The Higgins Boat was also widely used in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters. More than 23,000 Higgins Boats were produced, but fewer than a dozen are known to exist today. 

The display scene at the museum shows soldiers being loaded onto the Higgins Boat before it heads to shore. 

Given their sheer size and scope–over 150,000 troops, 5,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft were involved–the Allied landings on D-Day continue to captivate the mind even eight decades later. The National Museum of the US Army has prepared an impressive exhibit dedicated to the D-Day experience. While the Histopad and augmented reality are no substitute for a visit to France, visitors to Freedom From Above will take away a deeper sense of the paratroopers’ courage and sacrifice at Normandy.  

NOTE: Freedom From Above at the National Museum of the United States Army is open until November 15, 2024.

Route Recon

The National Museum of the United States Army is located at 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA, 22060

The museum is located on a publicly accessible portion of Fort Belvoir. Parking is free.

The museum is free, but tickets are required. Access tickets here.

Download a map with written directions here.

Traveling by car:

From Washington (traveling south)

Follow Interstate 395 South toward Richmond, Va. Merge onto Interstate 95 South. Take exit 166A toward VA-286 South/Fairfax County Parkway. Continue for 2.5 miles and turn left onto Liberty Drive.

From Baltimore (traveling south)

Follow MD-295 South, Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Exit onto Interstate 495 South/Interstate 95 South toward Richmond Va./Andrews Air Force Base. Follow signs for Interstate 95 South toward Richmond, Va. Take exit 166A toward VA-286 South/Fairfax County Parkway. Continue for 2.5 miles and turn left onto Liberty Drive.

From Richmond (traveling north)

Follow Interstate 95 North toward Washington. Take exit 166A toward VA-286 South/Fairfax County Parkway. Continue for 2.5 miles and turn left onto Liberty Drive.

Traveling by Bus:

The Fairfax Connector bus service travels to the Museum via two different routes:
Route 171 : Weekends ONLY
Route 334 : Monday – Friday ONLY
Please check the Fairfax County Website for the most current bus schedules.

Traveling by Metro:

The Franconia-Springfield Metro Station, on Metro’s blue line, is the closest station to the Museum. From the metro station, take Fairfax County Connector Bus Route 334 on weekdays or Route 171 on weekends to the museum.

Mess Call

The Museum Café is open daily from 9:00 – 4:00 pm. The Café provides daily grill service for breakfast and lunch as well as a variety of grab and go items.

A Moment on Iwo Jima Became a Monument for All Time

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You may not know the name Joe Rosenthal, but you have seen his work. Rosenthal was a photographer for the Associated Press (AP). On the afternoon of February 23, 1945, in 1/400th of a second, Joe Rosenthal took one of the most iconic photographs in American history. Seven decades later, his image of six United States Marines in combat gear raising an American flag still captivates the mind and stirs the soul. 

The photograph inspired a famous sculpture that is now recognized around the world as a symbol of the United States Marines. Known officially as the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, it is dedicated “For the Marine dead of all wars, and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them, since the Marine Corps’ founding in 1775”. 

The memorial is located in Arlington Ridge Park, a broad, open green space on the edge of the busy Arlington neighborhood of Rosslyn and in close proximity to Arlington National Cemetery. Situated on high ground overlooking the Potomac River, the park is a natural venue for the memorial.

Upon approaching the memorial, the first impression is of its size.  The entire monument is more than five stories high. The thirty-two foot bronze figures of the Marines stand on a polished, black granite oval base. A green patina on the bronze adds color to the figures’ carefully sculpted fatigue uniforms.  

Around the base of the statue, notable battles fought by United States Marines from the Revolutionary War through the present day are engraved in gold lettering. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz’s observation that among those Americans who served on Iwo Jima, “uncommon valor was a common virtue” is prominently inscribed on the west side of the memorial. 

A circular trail around the park features interpretive signs providing background information on the Battle of Iwo Jima, the famous photograph, facts about the statue, and the history and missions of the US Marines.

A miniature statue for the vision impaired included on an interpretive sign near the memorial.

The Marine Corps traces its history back to 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the recruitment of two battalions of Marines to provide the fledging Continental Navy with a ground operations force.  Since then, the Marines have engaged in every major conflict and a number of expeditionary operations. As the Marine Corps Hymn declares, the Marines have “fought in every time and place…” including some places you might not expect, such as the Civil War’s First Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I.   

In the decades before World War II, the Marine Corps developed and refined the doctrines, tactics and training for amphibious landing operations, where Marines would storm ashore from landing craft prepared to fight. Their proficiency in these complicated maneuvers was instrumental to the success of the Allied “island hopping campaign” in World War II’s Pacific theater. In early 1945, the island of Iwo Jima became the next strategic objective. By this time in the war, US B-29 Superfortress bombers could reach the main Japanese islands from airstrips on Guam and Saipan. However, both the airstrips and the B-29 in-flight formations were often attacked by Japanese fighters based on Iwo Jima.

As they prepared, the Marines knew Iwo Jima would be a tough fight. Unlike earlier battles, the Marines would be landing on Japanese territory, not an occupied island. The Imperial Japanese Army had approximately 23,000 soldiers on Iwo Jima, occupying an extensive tunnel and fortification system. 

On February 19, 1945, approximately 70,000 Marines and Navy support personnel landed on Iwo Jima. After days of heavy fighting, Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment made steady progress in their mission to capture Mount Suribachi, a dormant volcano that was the highest point on the island. By the morning of February 23, they reached the summit. 

The first Iwo Jima flag raising. A small flag carried ashore by the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines is planted atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945.

– Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery, USMC

At the top, an American flag was raised so that troops across the island would see the Marines now held the high ground. At the sight of the flag, Marines cheered and Navy ships sounded their horns. 

But the flag was only about 4-feet-long and not quite visible at a distance. A few hours later, an 8-foot-long flag was acquired and sent up to the Marines on Mount Suribachi.  As six Marines quickly planted the second flag, Joe Rosenthal captured the moment for posterity.

Once the flag was raised, the Marines quickly dispersed as fierce fighting continued. Four more weeks of intense combat were yet to come. The landing force sustained 24,053 causalities, roughly one third of those who landed. Three of the men in the photo were among the 6,140 Marines and Navy corpsmen who would lose their lives on Iwo Jima, the deadliest battle ever for the Marine Corps.

But there were instances of great heroism as well. Twenty-seven men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their service at Iwo Jima (about half of them were presented posthumously). 

Joe Rosenthal’s famous photograph of the second flag raising on Iwo Jima.

Joe Rosenthal was carefully balancing himself on some rocks and sandbags as he quickly snapped his famous photograph without using the viewfinder. 

He was unaware of how the picture would turn out as he sent the film to Guam for developing a few hours after taking the photo. The developed pictures crossed the desk of an AP photo editor named John Bodkin. Bodkin’s job was to scan through the photos submitted by his photographers across the Pacific theater for use in American newspapers. Upon seeing Rosenthal’s picture, he knew it was special, proclaiming “Here’s one for all time!”

He immediately arranged to transmit the picture to the AP Headquarters in New York. It arrived in time to be printed on the morning of February 25th in the Sunday editions of newspapers all over the United States. The photograph was an instant sensation. The previous week’s grim news of the terrible combat and heavy casualties on Iwo Jima were now replaced by a picture showing American progress and determination. Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Price for the photo and it would become the main symbol of the 7th US War Loan campaign. 

US Department of the Treasury poster for the 7th War Loan. The campaign would raise over $26 billion during the spring of 1945.

Sculptor Felix W. de Weldon, an artist on active duty with the US Navy, was one of the millions who saw the image. Captivated by the photograph, he began modeling the image in clay, then building a life size representation. 

He proposed building a grand monument based on Rosenthal’s photograph. With the consent of both Congress and the Marine Corps he began working on plaster models from which bronze castings for the statue were made. 

A private fundraising campaign was begun to build the statue based on de Weldon’s work. Over $850,000 was raised from Marines, veterans, and other supporters. He modeled the faces, frames and other features of three men who survived the battle and were believed at the time to be in the photo. He used photographs and information about the fallen Marines to model their images. 

After years of hard work, the memorial was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on November 10, 1954.  In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation authorizing the US flag to be flown at the memorial 24 hours a day. 

Shortly after the photo was taken, there were issues with identifying the men in the picture. Rosenthal did not record the names of his subjects and his picture shows no faces. An event that took about ten seconds became a distant memory in the face of the intense fighting on Iwo Jima. The initial efforts to identify the figures lead to unfortunate errors. The first misidentification was corrected in 1947 as Corporal Harlan Block was identified as the Marine planting the flag pole into the ground. For many decades it was believed a Navy Corpsmen named John Bradley and a Marine named Rene Gagnon were in the photograph.

In the 2010’s researchers studying Rosenthal’s and other photographs (there were both Army and Marine Corps photographers present at the time) of the flag raising carefully examined the uniforms and equipment of the flag raisers. They concluded that two different Marines and neither John Bradley nor Rene Gagnon were actually in the photograph. The Marines convened two official Boards of Inquiry, one in 2016 and another in 2019. After thorough examinations of the evidence to include some previously unknown photographs of the second flag raising, the boards concurred.

Note the sculptor Felix de Weldon’s precise detail on the Marines’ uniforms and equipment. Given the large size of the statues, the canteen would hold eight gallons of water.

In public statements, the Marines explained the importance of being factually correct, but noted that nothing in the historians’ research nor the boards’ findings diminishes any of the contributions of the Marines and other servicemen who fought on and around Iwo Jima.

Visitors to Washington, DC should include the US Marine Corps War Memorial on their short list of destinations to visit, especially if they have a connection to the Marine Corps. Unlike many other Washington-area landmarks, visiting the Marine Corps Memorial is fairly straightforward. Unless there is a special ceremony, the park is often quiet and peaceful. Free parking is available and the Rosslyn Metro Station is a ten-minute walk away.  

But ease in visiting an iconic sculpture is only one reason. Joe Rosenthal’s photograph and the memorial it inspired gained fame for what their subjects represent: critical values, such as teamwork, dedication and sacrifice. These values made the Marine Corps an effective fighting force throughout its history.

Indeed, these values–like the photograph and the monument–are for all time.

* * *

According to the US Marine Corps, the following six Marines are depicted on the memorial (from right to left):

Corporal Harlon Block, (depicted at the base of the flag pole)

Private First Class Harold Keller

Private First Class Franklin Sousley

Sergeant Michael Strand

Private First Class Harold Schultz

Private First Class Ira Hayes 

* * *

Route Recon

The US Marine Corps War Memorial is located in Arlington Ridge Park. The address is 1000 Marshall Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.

Park Hours are 6:00 AM – Midnight daily. Restrooms are located at the park. 

By Car

From VA 110 south turn right onto Marshall Drive, then follow signs for the US Marine Corps War Memorial.

From US 50 east take the exit for Rosslyn and the Key Bridge. Turn right onto Meade Street at the top of the ramp. Turn left on Marshall Drive, then follow the signs for the US Marine Corps War Memorial.

From US 50 west cross into Virginia on the Roosevelt Bridge and take the exit for Rosslyn and the Key Bridge. Turn left onto Meade Street at the top of the ramp. Turn left on Marshall Drive, then follow the signs for the US Marine Corps War Memorial.

Parking is available at the US Marine Corps War Memorial. Special events may limit parking.

By Metro

The memorial is a 10-15 minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro Station on the Blue Line. 

Arlington National Cemetery 

Arlington Ridge Park adjoins Arlington National Cemetery. Use Arlington National Cemetery’s Ord & Weitzel Gate gate to access the park and the memorial. 

Sunset Parades

On designated Tuesday evenings during the summer, the US Marine Corps holds Sunset Parades at the memorial.  The Sunset Parades are a 45-minute performance featuring the US Marine Band, the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

Command Reading

Flag of Our Fathers – This book was authored by James Bradley, son of Navy Corpsman Jack Bradley who was believed to be one of the flag raisers in Joe Rosenthal’s famous picture. The younger Bradley set out to write a book telling the life stories of the individuals associated with the flag raising. Published in 2000, long before it was concluded that two of the book’s subjects did not actually take part in the flag raising, the book provides compelling background on the lives of these Marines and gripping accounts of the combat on Iwo Jima. Bradley also provides details on how Joe Rosenthal took the famous photo as well the 7th War Loan fundraising campaign.

African American Military History on the National Mall

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From Bunker Hill in 1775 to Bagdad in 2005, African Americans have served in the American military throughout our history.  Their experiences are told as part of the larger African American saga at the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Decades in the making, this museum opened in 2016 and attendance has now grown to over 1.6 million annual visitors. With over 3,500 artifacts on display, the museum’s broad expanse of exhibits reflect critical aspects of African American life such as slavery, civil rights, sports, music and military service. 

A “soup bowl” style helmet worn during World War I. Soldiers of the US 369th Infantry Regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, are pictured behind the helmet.

Situated on the National Mall, the exterior features a distinctive bronze colored filigree, a tribute to the timeless work of African American metal artisans. It sets this structure apart from the neoclassical and modernist designs of the neighboring government buildings.

The bright, spacious lobby, known as Heritage Hall, features diverse artwork with copper metallic and gray walls, complimenting the museum’s unique exterior. From here, the visitor may choose their entryway into the African American experience presented in the museum. The escalator down leads to the History Galleries while upstairs are the Community and Culture Galleries, which reflect more contemporary times and themes.

Tracing African American military history will ultimately lead in both directions. 

Begin the journey in the downstairs galleries, which present over 400 years of African American history, from the establishment of the African slave trade through the Civil Rights era. African American military service during America’s wars is presented chronologically as part of the larger narrative of African American life. The galleries and exhibits devoted to four major conflicts all convey the recurring theme of how time and again African Americans fought bravely in wars for freedoms they themselves did not possess.

A large gallery dedicated to the Revolutionary War explores how enslaved Blacks served on both sides, motivated by promises of freedom. 

The flag of the Bucks of America, a Black paramilitary group founded in the Boston area. It is believed the group protected the property of Patriot merchants who had left Boston to fight in the Revolutionary War.

Historians estimate approximately 5,000 –  6,000 Blacks served in the Continental Army or in colonial militias. They were involved in every major Revolutionary War battle and most smaller engagements. Units such as the First Rhode Island Regiment, comprised mostly of Blacks, gained renown for their discipline and skills as soldiers. Additionally, experienced Black seamen were actively recruited by the Continental and Royal Navies and served in many different operational capacities.

The war’s conclusion in 1783 brought freedom for some Black soldiers and sailors, but many were returned to slavery, either in America or other portions of the British Empire. 

The Civil War gallery focuses largely on the many contributions of the US Colored Troops to the Union war effort. While newly freed slaves could receive paid work from the Army as early as 1861, they could not serve as Army soldiers until January 1863.  

A kepi cap worn by a soldier from the 4th Regiment Heavy Artillery, US Colored Troops

Ultimately, about 179,000 African Americans enlisted in the Army from both the North and South. They were organized into segregated infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments with white officers and designated as US Colored Troops. Initially, they were paid less than white soldiers and given menial jobs to perform. In time though they earned full pay and distinguished themselves in many battles. Sixteen African American soldiers would earn the Medal of Honor. 

Unlike the Army, the Navy was integrated before the Civil War. About 20,000 African Americans served aboard U.S Navy ships during the Civil War alongside White sailors.

The exhibits devoted to World War I and II are notably smaller than the Revolutionary and Civil War galleries.  They broadly describe the segregated service of African Americans during these wars and the hostile environment to which they often returned.

One of the highlights in the History Galleries is a beautifully restored Stearman Keydet training aircraft used by the Tuskegee Airmen. The two seat bi-plane was the primary pilot training aircraft for the US Armed Forces in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The accompanying display also includes an excellent five minute introductory video on the origins and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen, which was established in 1941 to demonstrate that African Americans could perform the jobs required in the Army Air Forces. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, as well as navigators, flight engineers, bombardiers, mechanics and other essential support positions. 

A PT-13D Stearman Kaydet training aircraft used to train Tuskegee Airmen

One of the most notable units comprised of Tuskegee Airmen was the 332nd Fighter Group. From their base in Italy, the 332nd escorted heavy bombers on raids into central Europe from May 1944 through April 1945. They flew more than 15,000 sorties, losing but 25 escorted bombers to enemy fire. 

In the museum’s Community Gallery on the third floor is an exhibit entitled Double Victory: the African American Military Experience. The gallery takes its name from the Pittsburg Courier’s Double Victory campaign during World War II, which promoted America’s victory over the Axis Powers and an African American victory over discrimination at home. 

This exhibit expands on the themes first introduced in the below-ground History Galleries. Here the emphasis goes beyond historical facts of African American military service to how that service changed through the years and its impact on the larger African American community. 

A handkerchief with the emblem of the Pittsburgh Courier’s Double Victory campaign.

Also included are more artifacts, such as documents, weapons and equipment. These highlight what military service for African Americans entailed at the time, such as a seaman’s certificate issued in 1826 to a Black sailor named Robert Barnaby. Barnaby carried the certificate with him at all times to prove he was a sailor in the US Navy and avoid being seized as a runaway slave. 

This exhibits introduces the accomplishments of some notable African American units such as the 54th Massachusetts, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Harlem Hellfighters, and the Red Ball Express, among others. 

President Harry Truman officially ended segregation in the US Armed Forces in 1948, upon signing Executive Order 9981. Change came, but slowly. Racial tension continued in the following decades in parallel with the civil rights movement occurring across American society. However, the integration of the services opened new opportunities for African American service members.  

A horse saddle used by B Troop , 9th US Cavalry Regiment (A Buffalo Soldiers Regiment)

The final part of the Double Victory exhibit portrays one of the most important of those opportunities, the long rise of African Americans to senior ranks within the military. Two hundred years after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Daniel “Chappie” James, a fighter pilot and Tuskegee Airman became the first African American four star general in history.

The exhibit includes Colin Powell’s dress uniform from his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It denotes the pinnacle of that long rise and attests to what is now possible in the military.

Although they might not have always been treated fairly, military service has long been an important part of African American life. Today, African Americans comprise 17% of the ranks of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and continue a tradition begun over 200 years ago. Through that time, the unique relationship between African Americans and the American military was a rather complex picture. Curators have designed and assembled some revealing exhibits exploring the nuances of those complexities. It is an important collection and well worth seeing for anyone desiring a more complete picture of American military history. 

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Route Recon

The Museum is located on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue, NW, between 14th and 15th Streets, Washington, D.C. The street address is 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20560.

Click here for a map of all the Smithsonian Institute Museums around the National Mall.

The museum is open Tuesdays – Sundays from 10:00 AM until 5:30 PM. On Monday, the museum is open from 12 Noon until 5:30 PM.

 Free timed-entry passes are required for entry.

Using public transportation is advised for those visiting the museum.

Metrorail – The closest Metro station is Federal Triangle, along the blue, orange, and silver lines.

Metrobus – Bus stops are located on Constitution Avenue. Visit the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for more information.

Circulator Bus – The National Mall Circulator Loop bus provides easy access around the National Mall and convenient connections to other Circulator buses for visits to uptown sites.

Mess Call

If your schedule allows, plan for lunch or a snack at the Sweet Home Café, the museum’s restaurant. It features a variety of food items reflective of African American culinary traditions as well as many modern day favorites. The Sweet Home Café is open daily, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM with the exception of Mondays (12:00 Noon – 3:00 PM).

What’s Peace Got To Do With It?

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In a city abundant with statues, monuments and memorials, a few stand out for their uniqueness. One of these sits to the northwest of the US Capitol in the middle of a traffic circle formed where Pennsylvania Avenue terminates at First Street, NW. It is one of three pieces of statuary, along with memorials to Ulysses S. Grant and James Garfield, that form a visual connection between the US Capitol Grounds and the National Mall. 

Dedicated to the sailors and Marines who died during the Civil War, the statue is known as the Navy Monument or Peace Monument. Unlike its neighboring statues which feature American statesmen cast in bronze, the Peace Monument mixes a variety of classical figures arrayed around an upright bloc, all captured in Italian marble.

The Peace Monument from the National Mall

At the top of the 44 foot high monument are two robed figures facing the National Mall to the west. One is Grief, who buries her head in one hand, while resting her other on the shoulder of History, who stands bearing a pen and scroll inscribed with the words: They died that their country might live. 

Midway down the monument, Victory holds her laurel high in her right hand, while a very young Mars (the god of war) and Neptune (the god of the sea) sit at her feet.

Victory with Mars and Neptune

On the reverse side of the statue, the figure of Peace looks towards the US Capitol. At her feet are a collection of items symbolic of the benefits of peace. There is a cornucopia and a sickle representing agricultural bounty while a gear and a book represent industry and the pursuit of knowledge. 

Four large marble spheres on their own bracket-shaped pedestals are found on the corners of the monument along with classical adornments, such as wreaths, scrolling and scallop shells. Below the monument, jets of water shoot into a giant basin. On the west side an inscription reads: In memory of the Officers, Seamen and Marines of the United States Navy who fell in defence [sic] of the Union and liberty of their country, 1861–1865.

While it looks as if it might have been designed by a committee, the statue was the idea of one man: US Navy Admiral David Porter. 

Admiral Porter was the scion of a distinguished naval family. His father, Commodore David Porter, was a hero of the War of 1812 and his adopted brother was David Glasgow Farragut (of “Damn the Torpedos” fame). Admiral Porter first served as a midshipman at age ten under his father. He would serve in the Navy for over sixty years. 

Admiral David Dixon Porter

-Photograph by Mathew Brady, Library of Congress Collection

Porter sketched the original figures of Grief and History as early as 1865, then raised money from private sources for its construction. Porter was likely inspired by his father, who undertook a similar project. Commodore Porter commissioned a statue dedicated to the lives of six naval heroes who died fighting the Barbary Pirates in the early 19th century. At one time this statue was displayed near the US Capitol; it was ultimately moved to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1860.

For his monument, Admiral Porter worked with Franklin Simmons, an accomplished sculptor known for his work in sculpting political and historical figures. Simmons carved the statues at his studio in Rome, working with another team of Italian sculptors to carve the monument’s shaft. He consulted frequently with Admiral Porter on including additional figures and embellishments. 

After its unveiling, an art critic remarked, “Porter knows more about the high seas than high art.”

While that may well have been true, Porter’s conglomeration of figures and mixed symbology seems quite appropriate for a monument to the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.

Close-up of the Statue of Mars. Note the erosion on the fingers of right hand where he grips his sword, and on nose.

In April of 1861, the Navy had but 42 commissioned ships. It needed to expand quickly and it required many new and different types of vessels for the missions it now faced.  Specialized ships were necessary for enforcing President Lincoln’s blockade of Southern ports, defeating the Confederate Navy in open waters, supporting US Army ground operations and patrolling interior rivers. This was also a transitional period as wooden sailing ships gave way to ironclads powered by steam. 

The Navy set about a massive program of refitting current naval vessels, building new ones and acquiring civilian ships, which were converted for military use. By war’s end, the Navy had over over 600 vessels, some very distinct in design and purpose.

During the Civil War, the US Navy also rewrote doctrines focusing on flotilla operations rather than single ship actions, adopted new combat tactics, and revised its command structure. 

Admiral Porter was on the forefront of some of these developments. He commanded a flotilla of ships in the Union capture of New Orleans. He transported Ulysses S. Grant’s army down the Mississippi River prior to the assault on Vicksburg. He also commanded naval forces in the attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina. After a two-day long bombardment of the fort, Porter contributed a force of sailors and Marines to join US Army soldiers on a multi-pronged ground attack. 

 The Bombardment and Capture of Fort Fisher, N.C. Jany. 15th, 1865. [Published by Currier & Ives, between 1865 and 1872] Library of Congress Collection

 

While historians devote more attention to land campaigns and the Army’s epic battles, the Navy made significant contributions to the Union victory in the Civil War. During those years, 4,523 sailors lost their lives. The Marine Corps played their role as well, participating in some major land battles, enforcing blockades and conducting patrols along the rivers. During the Civil War, 148 Marines were killed in combat.

After his Civil War service, Porter served as the Superintendent of the US Naval Academy where he implemented a number of reforms to better prepare midshipmen to become naval officers. He originally intended the monument to be placed at Annapolis as was his father’s. However, the Secretary of the Navy at the time disagreed. 

Congress though did approve of the statue being placed near the Capitol. Funds were appropriated for the construction of the monument’s platform and a basin for the fountain, which were made from Maine blue granite.  

The monument was shipped in pieces to Washington in 1876. The next year, the monument was assembled and installed at its current site. The last statue of Peace was added in 1878. A formal dedication ceremony was delayed until the statue was completed. Dolphins were also to be incorporated as were bronze lamps, but these were never added and no formal dedication was ever held.

The Statue of Peace facing the US Capitol.

The statue was built of Italian Carrara marble, which unfortunately has not stood up to the weather or the pollution in Washington, DC. Erosion of the faces on different figures is clearly evident and various features have broken off. For example, the young Neptune is missing his trident.

Additionally, protestors have repeatedly climbed the Peace Monument during demonstrations on the Mall, further damaging the statues. A major restoration effort was made in 1991, where the marble was carefully cleaned, strengthened and missing pieces replaced. Similar work was conducted in 1999 and 2010. 

Close up of the Statues of Grief and History. Note the erosion on History’s face and the missing pen from History’s right hand.

It is easy to be dismissive of the Peace Monument as something antiquated–or not related to peace at all–since it memorializes war dead. Indeed, the monument may not work as “high art”. But the monument’s story is compelling and offers some rich analogies to peace worth considering.

Like this monument’s creation, peace may take a long time. Peace might look different from what you expected. Peace may never be complete. Peace is fragile and needs constant tending.  Peace may not be heralded with a formal ceremony, yet it exists nonetheless. Peace may flabbergast some, but it can endure.

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Route Recon

The Navy Monument or Peace Monument is located within a traffic circle at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and First Street, NW, to the northwest of the US Capitol building. The best way to get to the monument (and the Capitol) is by taking Metro.

Three Metro stops are within walking distance of the memorial and the Capitol:

  • Union Station – Located at First Street, NW, and Massachusetts Avenue.
  • Capitol South – Located at First Street between C and D Streets, SE.
  • Federal Center, SW – Located at the southwest corner of Third and D Streets, SW.

Additional information on riding Metro, is available at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The DC Circulator, a public bus system with routes through Washington’s downtown area includes stops near the Memorial. Find more information about Circulator busses at www.dccirculator.com.

There is very little public parking available near the Capitol. The nearest public parking facility is at Union Station, to the north of the Capitol. Very limited metered street parking is found along the Mall to the west of the Capitol.

Keeping Alexandria National Cemetery “A Sacred Grove”

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In late April 1865, a manhunt was underway across the Mid-Atlantic for John Wilkes Booth. To prevent President Lincoln’s assassin from crossing the Potomac River into Virginia, the US Army’s Quartermaster Department contracted a coal barge, the Black Diamond to augment a larger river flotilla hunting for Booth.   

In the very early morning of April 24, the Black Diamond tragically collided with another private vessel, Massachusetts, which was contracted to transport soldiers from Alexandria, Virginia to Fort Monroe in the Hampton Roads area. Eighty-seven men were lost. This included four civilian firefighters employed by the Quartermaster Department who had volunteered to help crew the Black Diamond on its important mission. As they died in service to their country, the four civilians from Alexandria, Virginia, were conferred the honor of being buried alongside deceased Union soldiers in a new type of burial ground, the Alexandria National Cemetery. 

Today, the Alexandria National Cemetery is found within the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, an expansive 82-acre area encompassing over a dozen different community cemeteries in Old Town Alexandria. A red sandstone wall, stately iron gate and nearly uniform white stone gravestones arrayed in neat lines distinguish this cemetery from its neighbors.  

While national cemeteries are not unique to the United States, for over one hundred fifty years our government has devoted significant resources and attention to the dignified burial of its war dead and  military veterans. The advent of national cemeteries in the United States came at the beginning of the Civil War as the need for the Federal Government to maintain its own cemeteries became apparent. Large numbers of men were quickly joining the Army’s ranks. Equally fast, the terrible cost of war was realized. Soldiers were lost in battles or died of combat related wounds. Diseases and accidents killed even more. Past practices of local burials in private cemeteries or returning soldiers’ remains to families were no longer feasible. 

As a first step, in September 1861 the Quartermaster Department recorded where soldiers were being buried and provided wooden grave markers.  In July 1862, Congress directed the president to acquire appropriate grounds for “a national cemetery for the soldiers who shall die in the service of the country”. 

The Alexandria National Cemetery was established in 1862, two years before Arlington National Cemetery.

The early cemeteries were established near Army camps and training centers.  At the time, Alexandria was an important logistical hub, supply depot, and training area for the Union Army. The city also anchored the southern defenses of Washington, DC, (as seen today at nearby Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site) and operated multiple Union Army hospitals around the city. In 1862, the Army established a cemetery on four acres of local land already accommodating other graveyards, one of the first fourteen national cemeteries. Sadly, the cemetery filled quickly, even after a small expansion. By 1864, the Army began looking for other grounds for burials in the Washington area, leading to the establishment of today’s well known Arlington National Cemetery. 

Following the war, the Quartermaster Department began a massive multiyear project for identifying, excavating and reinterring soldier’s remains in additional newly established national cemeteries. By 1871, there were approximately 300,000 reinternments into more than 70 national cemeteries across the United States. This was the first time any nation undertook such an effort to bury its war dead. At first, only those who died on active service were allowed burial in a national cemetery. However, Civil War veterans wanted to be buried with their deceased comrades and Congress ultimately authorized burials for all honorably discharged veterans. 

Successive Congressional legislation authorized funds for marble headstones, walls, gates and structures to be built on cemetery grounds in an effort to keep the cemeteries simple yet stately. The famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted recommended a national cemetery be kept modest with “permanent dignity and tranquility … a sacred grove”. 

Today, the Alexandria National Cemetery remains a fine example of an early national cemetery aligning with Olmstead’s vision. Despite the cemetery’s urban location, it remains a quiet setting, save for airplanes coming and going from Reagan National Airport. A handsome brownstone building stands to the left of the main entrance marked by the ornate cast-iron gate found at the end of Wilkes Avenue.

The lodge was originally built as a cemetery superintendent’s home and office.

The building is based upon a design by architect Edward Clark and approved by Montgomery Miegs, the Quartermaster General of the Army during the Civil War. The design became known as the “Miegs Plan” and the buildings were intended for use as a superintendent’s home and office. Clark designed these lodges in the French Second Empire style using locally quarried Seneca sandstone to resemble other fashionable dwellings and office buildings built during this time. 

Only about twenty of these structures remain in national cemeteries today. The building currently houses office space and meeting rooms. A paper bound directory on the building’s porch assists visitors in locating specific graves. A redbrick annex at the back of the building is a converted restroom from the 1880s. 

Approximately 4,000 white stone markers spread out in orderly rows over the carefully manicured acres. The cemetery is currently closed to new internments (save for veterans or family members to be buried in an existing grave).

A paved roadway circumvents a central flagpole, flying the US flag. The graves of the four civilian firefighters who perished aboard the Black Diamond lie near the flagpole; a granite monument to their memory was added in 1922. 

A marble platform with a podium and seating area replaced an older cast iron version in the 1940s. Meant for internment ceremonies, it is often used today for Memorial Day services. It is a convenient spot for pausing and contemplating the stories and sacrifices of those buried around you.  After spending some time on the grounds, it is clear that while the Alexandria National Cemetery is not as large nor renowned as its regional neighbor in Arlington, it is still a very active civic space for the people of Alexandria.

The Marble Rostrum

The grounds are perpetually cared for and remain neat and tidy. Walkers, joggers and bikers respectfully traverse the grounds, sometimes personally cleaning and tending to the stones. Visitors seek out specific graves, paying respects and leaving the occasional memento. Veterans groups meet at the lodge, planning their activities. Each Memorial Day, US flags are dutifully placed on the graves. Each December, evergreen wreaths grace the headstones. 

Through successive wars, the American custom continues of providing war dead, veterans and certain family members with a dignified burial in well-arranged cemeteries. Much of this work is done through volunteers who devote time and energy to enhance their community’s national cemetery. You can help keep this tradition alive and ensure your local national cemetery remains and active part of the community.

There are currently 171 national cemeteries in the United States and its territories managed by various federal agencies. All of them welcome volunteers to maintain these “sacred groves” as dignified and respectful burial grounds. Duties vary by location and range from administrative support, attending funerals, planning events and grounds work.

Volunteering At A National Cemetery

Of the 171 national cemeteries in the United States and its territories, 151 are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 14 are managed by the National Park Service, and two by the Department of the Army. Internationally, 26 national cemeteries are managed by the American Battlefield Monuments Commission. 

More information on volunteering at national cemeteries can be found here:

Visit individual NPS National Cemetery websites for specific volunteer information.

ANC routinely looks for volunteers to collect wreaths following the the annual Wreaths Across America observance. Check the ANC website each December for more information. Other volunteer opportunities may occur through the year.

Route Recon

By car:

The Alexandria National Cemetery is located at 1450 Wilkes Street in Alexandria, Virginia. The gates to the cemetery are located at the end of Wilkes Street. 

There is parking along Wilkes Street. 

By public transportation:

The closest Washington DC area Metro Stop is King Street Metro Station. Take the DASH Bus #31 towards Braddock Road Metro. Exit the bus at the corner of King Street and Fayette Street. The cemetery gates are a .6 mile walk from this bus stop. Walk south on Fayette Street, then make a right onto Wilkes Street. The cemetery is at the end of the street. 

Alternatively, take the King Street Trolly from the King Street Metro Station. Disembark at West and King Streets. Walk one block east on King to Payne Street. Walk four blocks south on South Payne Street to Wilkes Street. Make a right on Wilkes Street. The cemetery is at the end of the street.

While at Arlington, “Remember the Maine!”

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“Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain” became a rallying cry for war in the spring of 1898. As a simmering independence movement in Cuba was becoming increasingly violent that January, President William McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana to watch after American lives as well as political and business interests. Tensions between the United States and Spain had been growing over independence movements in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines; McKinley was hoping for a peaceful resolution.

The USS Maine circa 1895-1898

-US Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph

However, it was not to be. The Maine arrived in Havana on January 25th with approximately 26 officers, 290 sailors and 39 Marines on board. Just after the bugle call Taps on February 15th, an explosion detonated the five tons of gunpowder charges for the Maine’s large guns. The forward section of the ship, containing the enlisted men’s quarters, blew apart. An estimated 266 men died either during the explosion or in the days afterward.

The USS Maine Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

How the explosion occurred was not immediately apparent. Several different investigations and reviews could not concur on a definitive cause. Though the combustion of coal dust was one possibility, several prominent newspapers of the time blamed a Spanish naval mine. A vocal element of the population was ready to use force against Spain and Congress declared war on April 25th. The war would end quickly and favorably for the United States as Spain ceded Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. 

Even with the war’s prompt conclusion, America did not forget about the Maine. In 1899, the remains of 165 sailors who died in the explosion were exhumed from a Cuban graveyard and reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery.  In 1912, the Army Corps of Engineers recovered the twisted remains of the Maine’s hull from Havana Harbor and towed her further away from the Cuban coast. After recovering an additional 66 bodies, the Maine was then scuttled in deeper waters while Taps played and escort ships offered a 21-gun salute. The ship’s masts were salvaged and the main mast sent to Arlington National Cemetery. 

The mast of the USS Maine passes through the stone structure and is embedded into the floor. A surviving piece of the ship’s bell is hung on the front door.

Efforts to build a memorial to the Maine began shortly after the explosion and about twenty monuments or special exhibits of the ship’s artifacts exist around the United States. President Woodrow Wilson dedicated the current memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in 1915, adjoining the burial site of the USS Maine sailors. The centerpiece of the memorial is a circular stone structure, 90 feet in diameter, built around the ship’s main mast. The shape of the structure suggests the warship’s gun turret, but it also has served as a temporary mausoleum. Rigging extends from the top of the structure up to a crow’s next atop the mast. On the circumference of the building are names and ratings of the sailors who died in the explosion. The front door of the structure holds a piece of the ship’s bell, which was broken in half during the explosion. 

A paved lane encircles the memorial. To the east is an anchor made specifically for the memorial but resembling the anchor onboard the Maine.  Positioned along the back of the memorial are two bronze Spanish mortars, cast in the 1700s and captured by Admiral George Dewey in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. 

The replica anchor was the centerpiece of an earlier memorial to the USS Maine. It weighs about two tons.

Most auspiciously, in the twelve decades since that fateful February night, the USS Maine is still not forgotten. There have been periodic reinvestigations and new studies into the cause of her sinking, reexamining the available evidence and using modern technologies and computer simulations. In 2000, a marine exploration firm unexpectedly came upon her wreck at a depth of 4,000 feet. Yet a definitive cause of the explosion remains elusive.

Next to the USS Maine Memorial, Section 24 at Arlington National Cemetery contains the graves of 229 sailors lost on the USS Maine.

Fortunately, any visitor to Arlington National Cemetery can also “Remember the Maine”. A short walk from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will lead to the USS Maine memorial.  Observe the neatly organized graves and note the names along the memorial’s wall.

Their sacrifice endures.  

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Route Recon

Arlington National Cemetery is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

Arlington National Cemetery is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. at the end of Memorial Avenue, which extends from Memorial Bridge. Arlington is accessible from the major roadways in the D.C. area: Interstate 95, the Capital Beltway (I-495), and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Parking: A parking garage is located near the cemetery’s entrance on Memorial Avenue.

Metro: Arlington Cemetery station is stop on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Blue Line.

Both the Parking Garage and Metro station are a short walk from the Welcome Center. Please note there is a 100% security check for visitors entering the cemetery.

The USS Maine Memorial is located to the west of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Memorial Amphitheater. You can view a map of Arlington National Cemetery here.

Cleared for Takeoff at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

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The sliding glass doors retract and beckon you inside.  Passing the metal detectors, navy blue jacketed security officers nod a quiet greeting. Walk through a cavernous entryway and on to a balcony overlooking the massive Boeing Hanger. On the gallery floor the world’s fastest jet powered aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird stares back at you, sleek and silent.  On the left, the toothy grin nose art of a P-40 Kitty Hawk welcomes you while an F4U Corsair dips its bent wing in a friendly gesture as if to say, “We’re glad you’re here, but you better get started. There is a lot to see!” Indeed, within the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center’s hangers are the products and byproducts of over two hundred years of aviation history. 

For anyone interested in aviation and space exploration, it doesn’t get much better than this.

For most visitors to the Washington DC area, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum is synonymous with the building on the National Mall.  Currently undergoing renovation, that museum building can only hold a small portion of the Smithsonian Institute’s massive collection of artifacts and materials related to aviation and space travel. 

A US Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard Helicopter

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the other main component of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum. Located in Chantilly, Virginia, it adjoins Washington Dulles International Airport. Conceived as additional space for the display of the Smithsonian’s extensive collection of aviation and space travel artifacts, it opened to the public in 2003. Between the National Air and Space Museum’s building on the National Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center, approximately 80 percent large aircraft and spacecraft from the Smithsonian’s holdings are on display.

The center’s namesake Steven F. Udvar-Hazy is a Hungarian-born immigrant who came to the United States in 1958. A lifelong lover of aviation, Udvar-Hazy eventually became chairman of the International Lease Finance Corporation, one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing firms. He donated $66 million of his personal fortune to the Smithsonian for the purposes of building this impressive facility with its three main galleries: the Boeing Aviation Hanger, the James McDonnell Space Hanger and the Mary Barker Engen Restoration Hanger.  

The Boeing Gallery boasts nearly 200 aircraft in a space comparable to the flight deck on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.  Curators very carefully arranged the aircraft to maximize the available display space within the hanger. Organized into collections, the aircraft are situated either on the hanger floor or suspended from the ceiling. Balconies on multiple levels help visitors to see the meticulously restored aircraft up close.

The Air France Concorde FA, within the south side of the Boeing Hanger at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Udvar-Hazy Center features tours most days. Over 60 to 90 minutes, the volunteer docents lead visitors around the World War I fighters and reconnaissance aircraft, inter-war trainers and prototypes, Allies and Axis aircraft from World War II, early passenger airliners, experimental aircraft, general aviation planes, Cold War jets, helicopters and more. Some of the highlights of the collection include:

SR-71 Blackbird – The SR-71 is the fastest jet engine propelled aircraft. First flown in 1964, the operational performance and technological sophistication of the Blackbird is still impressive today. The centerpiece of the Boeing Gallery, the SR-71 Blackbird on display logged about 2,800 hours of flight time over 24 years. The U.S. Air Force donated this Blackbird to the Smithsonian. On its final flight, the Blackbird set a speed record flying from Los Angeles to Washington-Dulles International Airport in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds (about 2,124 miles per hour) 

B-29 Enola Gay – The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was first conceived in the 1930s as bomber with a greater range and capacity than the B-17. The B-29’s extended range of about 4,000 miles when loaded made it especially suitable for use in the Pacific Theater during World War II. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.  

The Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis – On October 14, 1947, Captain Chuck Yaeger became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound after he was drop launched in the X-1 from a B-29 Superfortress. He named the aircraft after his wife. 

F-14 D Tomcat – A naval fighter aircraft, this plane became well known to moviegoers following the release of the 1986 film Top Gun. 

Boeing 367-80 – The Boeing four-engine jet powered aircraft was the prototype for the US Air Force’s KC-135 tanker and the Boeing 707 jetliner. 

Concorde – The first supersonic airliner, the Concorde was flown by both Air France and British Air, serving customers willing to pay a premium for a faster flight. Unfortunately, higher fuel prices made the very sophisticated aircraft too expensive to operate. This Air France Fox Alpha Concorde on display was donated to the Smithsonian Institute on June 12, 2003 after its final flight from Paris to Dulles International Airport. 

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery

Compared to the Boeing Aviation Hanger, the McDonnell Space Hanger, arrayed with satellites, rockets, probes and other cosmic equipment seems less crowded. However, one artifact stands out from all the rest, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery.  Space shuttles were a unique reusable spacecraft, designed to take off like a rocket, land back on earth like a glider, and carry a variety of payloads. Discovery was the workhorse of the shuttle fleet, flying 39 missions and logging 365 days in space during its service life between 1984 and 2011.    

Displaying aircraft and space equipment is but one mission of the National Air and Space Museum. Before anything is placed into a hanger or gallery, museum preservationists painstakingly restore the aircraft and prepare it for its new life in the museum. Much of this refurbishment work is conducted in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar.

The large open hanger space accommodates several restoration projects at a time. An observation area on the mezzanine above the hanger floor allows visitors to watch the restorers at work.  One major restoration project currently underway in the hanger is on a Martin B-26B medium bomber from World War II named Flak-Bait. This bomber flew more than 200 missions over Germany from August 1943 until April 1945, more than any other American plane.

The Martin B-26B Bomber Flak-Bait holds the record for the number of bombing missions survived in World War II.

As captivating as they are, the Udvar-Hazy Center offers a few additional activities beyond just looking at the restored air and space craft. 

Observation Tower – The Donald Engen Observation Tower provides a commanding view of the area, including the main operational runways at Washington Dulles International Airport. Watch the planes take off and land throughout the day. The tower also includes a quick lesson in the functioning of the air traffic control system, adding some helpful context to the highly choreographed movement of aircraft through the region’s airspace.  

Simulators – After viewing so many exciting aircraft, a collection of simulators provides the realistic feeling of taking to the skies and beyond.  

Theater – The Airbus IMAX Theater at Udvar-Hazy, the largest in Northern Virginia, shows a combination of current Hollywood releases as well as documentaries on different aspects of aviation and space exploration.

Additionally, the Smithsonian maintains a regular schedule of educational programs, lectures, and events for young people, such as the annual Air & Scare held the Saturday before Halloween. 

The B-29 Superfortresss Enola Gay.

After a visit, it is easy to understand why the Udvar-Hazy Center is one of the top destinations not only in the Washington, DC area, but in all of Virginia. The building is expansive, easy to navigate and the exhibits are tantalizing to the eye with multiple legendary air and spacecraft on display. Beyond the artifacts, other aviation related activities are available to expand your understanding of flight and helpful staff are available to answer questions. For admirers of aviation, adventure or innovation, there are few better places (on the ground) to spend a day than the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

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Route Recon

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located just south of Washington Dulles International Airport, along Virginia Route 28 in Chantilly, Virginia. 

The address is: 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151

By car:

From Washington, DC, and points south: Take Interstate 66 West to Route 28 North (Exit 53B): Travel on Route 28 North for 5.3 miles. Exit at Air and Space Museum Parkway and follow the signs to the Udvar-Hazy Center.

From Washington, DC, and points north: Take Interstate 495 West (the Capital Beltway) to the Dulles Toll Road West (Virginia Route 267). Exit the toll road at Route 28 South (Exit 9A) and travel south 3.5 miles. Exit at Air and Space Museum Parkway and follow the signs to the Udvar-Hazy Center.

NOTE: Online mapping apps may direct you to enter the Udvar-Hazy Center from US Route 50. This is not a public entrance. You must enter from Virginia Route 28. 

Admission to the museum is free, but parking costs $15 before 4:00 pm. Free parking is available for all cars arriving after 4:00 pm.  Vehicles dropping off or picking up visitors are not charged if staying less than 30 minutes. 

By Bus: 

From Washington Dulles International Airport to the Udvar-Hazy Center in VA:

From Ground Transportation bay #5E (lower level exit #6), take Fairfax Connector No. 983 one stop to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Buses run every 25 minutes during peak times and every hour during non-peak times and weekends. Bus fares paid with SmarTrip card or cash. Bus drivers do not carry change. The bus ride from Dulles Airport takes approximately 25 minutes. 

By Metro: 

Take Metro Silver Line to Innovation Center station. 

Fairfax Connector provides connecting bus service from the Silver Line’s Innovation Center Metro station. More information is available on the Fairfax Connector No. 983 website Buses run every 25 minutes during peak times and every hour during non-peak times and weekends. Trips between Innovation Center and the Udvar-Hazy Center take about 12-15 minutes.

Exit bus at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center stop.

Plan for an approximately 1 hour and 35 minute trip from Washington, DC to the Udvar-Hazy Center using Metro. 

Mess Call

Shake Shack restaurant provides onsite dining at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The Shake Shack is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. The restaurant serves burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fries, frozen custard, shakes, and coffee. There are two shakes exclusive to the museum, the Constellation Crunch Concrete and Out of This World Shake. Additionally, pre-packaged salads and sandwiches are available from an automated vendor kiosk. 

Something is Missing at the National Air and Space Museum

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It was August 1961 in the hot California desert. Jacqueline Cochran was strapped into her Northrop T-38A Talon, flying a nine mile closed loop aeronautical course. She was followed by Chuck Yeager, flying an F-100. Cochran kept the aircraft in perfect alignment around the course and topped out at 844 miles per hour, setting a new speed record for that distance. That was only one of the eight speed records the fifty-five year old Cochran would set that summer.

Cochran was no stranger to flying records. She set her first speed record in 1937 and won a number of airplane races prior to World War II. In 1943, General of the Air Force Harold “Hap” Arnold appointed Cochran the first director of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). In 1953, she was the first woman to break the sound barrier. The T-38A she flew now hangs in the Smithsonian Institute’s “new” National Air and Space Museum (NASM). 

Northrop T-38A Talon | Jacqueline Cochran | airspeed record | National Air and Space Museum | Washington DC

The Northrop T-38A Talon flown by Jacqueline Cochran.

Since its opening on the National Mall in 1976, the NASM has been a stop for many visitors to Washington, DC. It is easy to understand why. Even for those only marginally interested in space or aviation, the museum is full of interesting artifacts and displays. The original Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit are but a few of the items that provide not only a sense of pride in American innovation, but also in humanity’s ongoing exploration of the heavens.

In 2018, the NASM began an historic seven-year, $250 million renovation focusing on creating a more immersive and enjoyable experience. The Smithsonian holds the world’s largest collection of artifacts related to aviation and space exploration, and the renovation includes over 1,400 new items for public display.  Through this process, all the museum’s galleries are due for renovation, redesign or complete replacement.

The NASM reopened to the public on October 14, 2022 with eight new or redesigned galleries on the west end of the museum’s building. While there are certainly some interesting exhibits and displays, the museum is still a work in progress.

Wright Brothers | Wright Flyer | first airplane | Air and Space Museum
The Wright Flyer on display in the Wright Brothers gallery.

What Galleries Are Now Open?

The Wright Brothers – The centerpiece of the gallery devoted to Orville and Wilbur Wright remains the Wright Flyer, the brothers’ heavier than air machine which first took flight on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The redesigned gallery adds further details to their lives before and after they achieved fame as inventors of the airplane.  There are leaflets from their printing business, tools from their bicycle shop, early models, experimental aircraft parts and furnishings from their cabin in North Carolina.

Early Flight – Following their successful flight, the Wright Brothers led many others in continued experimentation on early aircraft. A budding aviation community took hold around the world as the human passion for flying grew. The gallery highlights this earliest period of aviation innovation.

America by Air – In 1918, the U.S. Government formally initiated airmail service, a decision that led to the commercial passenger aviation industry. The America by Air gallery tracks air travel in the United States from the early days of open cockpits to the deregulated, post-9/11 era we know today.

A smokejumper’s protective suit and other gear on display in the Why We Fly gallery.

Smokejumper protective suit | National Air and Space Museum | NASM | Washington DC

Why We Fly – About 80% of aircraft in the United States are considered General Aviation, meaning they are not connected to scheduled passenger service, the military or the Federal government. Why We Fly exhibits reflect the great diversity of this sector. Medical flights, crop dusting, aerial firefighting and humanitarian response are all included.

Nation of Speed – A collaborative effort with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Nation of Speed presents the American experience of the desire to move faster in the air, on the water and over land with the technology and machines that made it possible.

Destination Moon – Some of the Smithsonian Institute’s most iconic artifacts are found in Destination Moon, which traces the history of the US lunar programs and missions.

Exploring the Planets – Beyond the moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s, this gallery explores current space exploration programs and future plans for exploring our solar system.

Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia | moon landing return vehicle | Neil Armstrong | Buzz Aldrin | Michael Collins | NASM Washington DC

The Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia. The command module was the living quarters and return vehicle for Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

One World Connected – Explores how the advancements of aircraft, satellites and technology have revolutionized communications, navigation, weather forecasting and other aspects of life on earth.

Mixed Results

It is quite evident tremendous effort went into the design (or redesign) of these galleries, but the results seem mixed. On the positive side, the new features in the Wright Brothers gallery fill in more details on the lives of the two brothers, making them seem more human, while still maintaining their iconic stature. America by Air provides ample details and activities telling the story of commercial passenger aviation in America. The shiny and brightly painted early airliners suspended above the displays add a sense of majesty to the storytelling below. 

Ford-5 Tri-Motor | Douglas DC-3 | airplanes on display at National Air and Space Museum | Washington DC tourism | Smithsonian Institute
A Ford-5 Tri-Motor and a Douglas DC-3 above the American by Air gallery.

Within Destination Moon, the artifacts and displays are now neatly and chronologically arranged allowing visitors to walk through the decades of manned lunar exploration. Along the way, they get a sense of the dedication of the people involved, the power of the rocket engines, and at the same time, reckoning how all this was accomplished with less technology than the cellphones in our pockets today.

However, the Nation of Speed gallery is much more suited to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. For some reason, profiles of early pilots and aviation record holders are notably absent with most of the artifacts related to auto or motorcycle racing. 

Exploring the Planets is understandably lighter on artifacts (many are still in use or irretrievable) and there are indeed some interesting examples of the Mars rovers. However, other displays simply describe the current scientific understanding of the other planets seeming more akin to a science fair rather than the immersive experience NASM’s renovation was to bring about.

The One World Connected gallery celebrates the interconnected life on planet Earth in this 21st Century. Yet the exhibits do not mention much about the the limits nor downsides of the technology that brought us this interconnectivity, such as cyber crime, disinformation or political polarization, and how we can overcome them.   

An early Global Positioning System (GPS) unit circa 1993 from the Magellan Corporation on display in the One World Connected gallery.

Smithsonian Institute | GPS on display at NASM

What’s Missing?

Notably absent from the eight renovated galleries are newly restored and presented aircraft, which is rather confounding as the Smithsonian prides itself on its collection of historically significant aircraft. My 11-year-old son summed it up best when he said: “There aren’t any cool planes to look at.”

Most of the aircraft on display were previously viewable before NASM started the renovations. Military aircraft are especially lacking. Aside from Jacqueline Cochran’s T-38A, the only other prominent military aircraft is the Wright Military Flyer, a two-seat observation aircraft built by the Wright Brothers and purchased by the US Army in 1909. 

Closed are galleries that previously included aircraft from both world wars, Legend, Memory and the Great War in the Air and WWII: Sea-Air Operations (featuring a reproduction of a carrier hanger deck from WWII). In their absence, a lone Rebel Alliance X-wing Starfighter from the movie Star Wars hangs suspended from the ceiling over one of the walkways, with little accompanying information.

Jacqueline Cochran | Jackie Cochran | female pilot | Women Airforce Service Pilots WASPS | aviation record holder

Jacqueline Cochran (circa 1943) in her Women Airforce Service Pilots uniform. When she died in 1980, Cochran held more speed, distance and altitude flying records than any other pilot.

What is also missing, with the exception of the Wright Brothers, Jacqueline Cochran and the astronauts, are the profiles of humans who took to the skies and to space, pushing themselves and their equipment to the limits to accomplish something for us all. Indeed, the redesign seems to remove the human element in aviation and space exploration, replacing it with technology and process. One leaves NASM better informed, but not inspired.

What’s Next?

These are hopefully just temporary drawbacks. NASM’s renovation is set for completion in 2025. Approximately fifteen more galleries are still under renovation. Publicly available information on the new galleries seems scarce, but one new gallery entitled Pioneers of Aviation will feature the iconic Spirt of St. Louis. Another will depict aerial combat and tactics during World War II with the North American P-51, Grumman Wildcat and Messerschmitt 109 on display. Perhaps the X-wing Starfighter suggests a Star Wars or space fantasy gallery is in the works?

Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter on display at Smithsonian
A Rebel Alliance X-Wing Starfighter from the Star Wars movies

In the meantime, those with a serious interest in military aircraft should visit the Smithsonian Institute’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA near Washington Dulles International Airport instead. At this 17-acre facility, military and civilian aircraft from World War I until today, as well as space equipment, are on display. 

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Route Recon

The Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum is located on the National Mall bordered by Independence Avenue, Jefferson Drive, and 4th and 7th Streets, SW. The entrance is on the south side of the building along Independence Avenue. You cannot access the museum from the north side along the National Mall.

Parking – Very limited metered street parking is available around the museum. Parking is available in several commercial parking lots in the neighborhood.

Public Transportation

Metrorail – The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza, along the blue, orange, silver, and green lines. From the L’Enfant Plaza Station, take the exit for Maryland Avenue and 7th Street.

Metrobus – Bus stops are located on Independence Avenue, SW, and along 7th Street, SW. Visit the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for more information.

Circulator Bus – The National Mall Circulator Loop bus provides easy access around the National Mall and convenient connections to other Circulator buses for visits to uptown sites. The NASM is a short walk from the Jefferson Drive and 7th Street SW stop on the National Mall route, or the D Street SW and 7th Street SW stop on the Eastern Market – L’Enfant Plaza route.

Bicycle Sharing – Capital Bikeshare  is metro DC’s bicycle sharing service. There are Bikeshare stations around the National Mall. There is Bikeshare station on 4th Street, just south of the intersection with Independence Avenue.

Intel Brief

Free timed tickets are required for entry into NASM. Tickets can be acquired through the NASM website. Ticket holders will line up near the Independence Avenue entrance prior to their entrance time. The line can become quite long, but it moves quickly once ticket holders are allowed to enter the building.    

NASM is not currently offering guided tours for individual parties. Tours are available for school groups of 10 or more and adult groups of 20 or more. Tours should be requested 3 weeks in advance. Reservation and group visit information is available at NASMs Group Tours webpage.

Mess Call

The Mars Café is located on the “Launch Pad” (lower level) It is open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The café has a coffee bar and sells sandwiches, salads, and pastries.  There are only twenty five tables currently available so seating is challenging at mid-day.

Learning Why We Liked Ike at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

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Dwight Eisenhower’s life reflected the classic American success story. Born of humble origins, he chose an Army career in order to serve his country. Through his own talent, hard work and quiet ambition, he rose through the ranks to command one of the mightiest military forces ever assembled.  The victories achieved by that force would bring him worldwide acclaim. With the campaign slogan of I Like Ike, Eisenhower would go on to be overwhelmingly elected to two terms as President of the United States.

In 2020, a new memorial to Eisenhower was unveiled in Washington, DC. The monument’s designer, Frank Gehry, carefully researched his subject. He was so taken with Eisenhower the man, he wanted the memorial to emphasize not only Eisenhower’s accomplishments, but also his humanity and his interaction with others.  Unlike other presidential memorials, there is no large, neoclassical edifice. Rather, Eisenhower’s memorial is more akin to that of Franklin Roosevelt’s with statuary and scenes telling the story of the man and his times.

Located just off the National Mall, the memorial’s broad, open expanse forms a four-acre plaza between two Smithsonian Museums and several Federal office buildings. The memorial is composed of four central elements. Three elements portray Eisenhower, the person: as a young man, as Commander of the D-Day forces, and as President. The final element is a grand tapestry of stainless steel representing the Pointe du Hoc cliffs over the Normandy coast and covering the front of the Department of Education building. The space also includes trees, lawns, benches and two stone columns detailing Ike’s accomplishments.

The backdrop to the memorial is a 450 foot-wide woven wire tapestry depicting the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc in Normandy. On D-Day, US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to prevent German artillery from firing on Allied troops landing on the beaches below.

As is often the case, work on the memorial took decades. Congress first authorized the Memorial in 2003 and Gehry’s designs were revised several times due to impassioned input from the Eisenhower family, historians and bureaucrats. While Gehry’s final work has not won universal acclaim, its central features invite the visitor to learn more about Eisenhower and the traits that not only made America “like Ike” but also made him such a pivotal figure of the 20th century.   

Born in Texas, Ike grew up in Abilene, Kansas where he and his five brothers were raised by hard working parents to value a strong work ethic, responsibility and education.

Eisenhower was proud of his origins and Geary thought it very important to include Ike’s image as a young man. The memorial shows a young Eisenhower, sitting in overalls and boots, looking off into the distance and imagining his future.  

The statue of Eisenhower as a young man, imagining his future.

Perhaps to the dismay of his pacifist Mennonite parents, Eisenhower sought an appointment to West Point. Initially attracted by the free education, he proved a competent student, but a sometimes rebellious cadet who earned more than his share of demerits. He graduated in 1915 and chose to stay in the Army as a way of serving his country.

During World War I, Ike remained in the United States assigned to training commands. He studied the use of a new combat weapon, the tank. He gained valuable experience not only in armor tactics, but also military logistics, administration and training.

Army service during the two decades after World War I was challenging. The Army contracted quickly and defense budgets were small. Promotion was slow. Ike spent twelve years as a major, but stayed focused. He continued his professional development and was skillfully mentored by Major General Fox Conner.

Conner tutored Eisenhower on military history and operational matters. He also instructed his protégé on his principles for how democratic governments should wage war – Never fight unless you have to. Never fight alone. Never fight for long. Conner also emphasized his belief that a second “great war” was coming, and this time, the US Army would need to know how to fight as part of an international coalition.

Dwight Eisenhower as a cadet at West Point.

Ike continued working hard, making himself indispensable to his bosses. He wanted them to miss him when he moved on to his next assignment. One of those bosses would be General George Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff who approved several promotions for Eisenhower and first sent him to London in June of 1942. Eisenhower would receive several more promotions as his responsibilities grew, overseeing Allied military operations in North Africa and Italy. As a commander of troops from other nations, not just the United States, Eisenhower mastered the balance and patience necessary to work with political leaders and diplomats as well as senior officers from other militaries.  President Roosevelt selected Eisenhower to be the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe in December 1943 with responsibility for the planning and execution of the invasion of France.

The memorial sculpture depicting Dwight Eisenhower as the commander of the D-Day invasion.

Through this all, Ike never lost his common touch with his soldiers. The memorial depicts Eisenhower as the D-Day commander speaking with paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division, based on a real encounter the day before the invasion. Ike always took time to talk to soldiers. In addition to offering encouragement, he wanted to hear from them. He wanted to ensure they had been briefed on their mission, were properly fed and had all the equipment they needed.

This famous photograph of General Eisenhower speaking with paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division inspired the World War II sculpture at the Eisenhower Memorial.

After the war ended, Ike held a series of high profile positions: Army Chief of Staff, President of Columbia University, and the first military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  

In 1952, a “Draft Eisenhower for President” movement began to sweep the country. Americans were attracted to Eisenhower’s proven leadership. Over 25,000 people intent on drafting Eisenhower and proclaiming “I like Ike” attended a rally at Madison Square Garden.  He even won the New Hampshire primary before he declared his candidacy.

As a career soldier, Ike had initially eschewed politics. But he had concerns about a growing sense of isolationism in America. As the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Ike clearly understood the need to contain Soviet aggression with a strong military presence in Europe and through close cooperation with the European allies. He resigned from the Army and announced his candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination for president. In November, he won a landslide election.

The memorial portrays Eisenhower as president, with three advisors, before a large map of the world.

The map emphasizes the central role global affairs played during Eisenhower’s tenure, which saw many global calamities, the Korean War, the Suez Crisis, and the Hungarian Revolution to name a few.  Through it all, Ike aggressively pursued peace. Already well known to international leaders, Ike was a reassuring figure on the world stage. He drew heavily on the skills he honed as a wartime commander: patience, careful planning, collaboration and the ability to balance the interests of many. Today the 1950’s are remembered as a period of relative calm, resulting from Ike’s success in navigating so many potential pitfalls.

Domestically, Ike governed as a moderate. He maintained FDR’s New Deal programs, maintained balanced Federal budgets, founded the Interstate Highway System and helped establish several different Federal agencies. (These agencies, or their successors, are present in the buildings surrounding the memorial, Health and Human Services, Education, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration within the National Air and Space Museum.)   

Dwight Eisenhower’s official portrait as President of the United States in 1959.

As a political leader, Ike believed in moving gradually and keeping to the middle ground. One of the advisors depicted behind Eisenhower in the memorial is an African-American, which represents Eisenhower’s early success on civil rights. Some historians believe Ike’s approach limited progress on civil rights. Eisenhower did not write or speak very often on the subject. Nevertheless, he knew his responsibilities as president. The steps he took on civil rights, completing the racial integration of the Armed Forces, signing the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, and enforcing the desegregation at Little Rock High School more than matched his predecessors and set the stage for continued progress during the 1960’s.

Ike’s memorial is testimony to his biggest accomplishments on the beaches of Normandy and in the corridors of power in Washington, DC. Ike shaped much of the world we live in today, but how he did it is impressive as well. The values Ike demonstrated are timeless. It was decades of selfless public service, hard work, humility, integrity, and a belief in others that enabled his successes and endeared him so much to others. No wonder than that everyone “liked Ike”.

Nighttime at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

Route Recon

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is located across Independence Avenue from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. There is limited street parking in the area. This National Park Service website has a map with metered parking locations around the National Mall. Public transportation is the best option for reaching the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, as well as the other monuments and museums that line the National Mall. The Washington, DC Metro system is conveniently located near the memorial. From the L’Enfant Plaza station, exit via Maryland Avenue & 7th Street; from the top of the escalator, the memorial is one block straight ahead.

The National Mall Circulator Loop bus provides access around the National Mall. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is a short walk from the Jefferson Drive and 7th Street SW stop on the National Mall route, or the D Street SW and 7th Street SW stop on the Eastern Market – L’Enfant Plaza route.

Capital Bikeshare is metro DC’s Bikeshare service, with 4,500 bikes and 500+ stations across the region, a number of which are located close to sites on the National Mall. There is Bikeshare station on 4th Street, just south of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial visitor contact station.

Command Reading List

Many books have been written on Dwight Eisenhower’s life and career. Here are just a few:

Eisenhower: Soldier and President (The Renowned One-Volume Life) by Stephen E. Ambrose

Ambrose’s one volume edition focuses on Eisenhower’s most notable roles as president and D-Day commander.

Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith

Smith reviews Eisenhower’s life in great detail from Kansas through the presidency, while examining how Ike’s different personality traits of hard work, dedication, intelligence, and the ability to get people working together propelled his success.

Crusade in Europe by Dwight D. Eisenhower

Prior to his presidency, Ike wrote this book to tell his own story of the strategies he followed, battles he fought and decisions he made to secure victory in World War II.

Additional Resources

You can access the audio guide to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial here.

The Eisenhower Foundation has a series of informative videos about Dwight D. Eisenhower, his times and the memorial on their website.