MEMORIALS & MONUMENTS
Marine Corps War Memorial
Commemorating the lives and sacrifice of all the members of the Marines who served in defense of the country's freedom since 1775, the Marines Corps War Memorial was inspired by the iconic flag-raising photograph taken on the island of Iwo Jima in Japan by the end of the Second World War. The monument, located in Arlington County, Virginia, depicts the six Marines raising a US flag atop Mount Suribachi during the battle on the island. The bronze figures of the soldiers are 32 feet high while the flagpole is 60 feet tall. Two of the surviving Marines in the historic flag-raising moment modeled for their statues' faces. Every single battle where the Marines fought, their dates and locations, are inscribed in gold letters forming the upper rim of the polished black granite base.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
A visit to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is looking back to some of the most trying times in American history. The site features four ‘outdoor’ rooms that portray each of his terms as president. Each room contains bronze statues that depict important events and conflicts of each of his terms and waterworks that flow from room to room. The water installations are a significant focus of the memorial as it ties the story of his presidency. As one goes through each room, the waterfall installation gets more elaborate - reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marred with economic depression and world war. The FDR Memorial also depicts a bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. It stands in front of the United Nations emblem in honor of her service to the UN. This is the only memorial to a president that prominently features his First Lady.
World War II Memorial
The World War II Memorial, located at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflective Pool, serves as a reminder of the valor, sacrifice, unity, and victory of the Americans who served during the Second World War. From the eastern side, there is a rectangular ceremonial entrance way leading to an elliptical pool with fountains and waterjets. On both sides of the entrance are balustrades bearing bas relief sculptures depicting iconic scenes of the war experience. The northern side represents the war in Europe, while the south side is for the Pacific. On either side of the pool is a triumphal arch symbolizing the victories on the two fronts - the Atlantic and the Pacific. Alongside the arches, 56 pillars form a semi-circle around the fountain representing the 48 states, District of Columbia, and seven federal territories who fought side-by-side during the war. On the western side of the plaza, a Freedom Wall was raised to honor the more than 400,000 men and women who died for the price of freedom. They are represented by 4,048 stars in the wall, one star for every 100 Americans who sacrificed their lives.
African American Civil War Memorial
The first memorial solely dedicated to the members of the US Colored Troops, the monument celebrates the valor and sacrifice of the African-American soldiers who served in the Civil War. The 9-foot bronze statue, called The Spirit of Freedom, honors the more than 200,000 men of color, who suffered spite from the opposing side and bigotry from within their own. Also in the plaza are walls where all the names of the Black servicemen, as well as that of their white officers and Hispanic comrades, are inscribed. Right across the plaza is the African American Civil War Museum, where families, students, and visitors can further remember the bravery and contributions of the USCT.
Arlington National Cemetery
Just a stone's throw across the Potomac River from Washington DC, Arlington National Cemetery is located. The site is the largest United States military cemetery where more than 400,000 soldiers and immediate family are buried since the Civil War. The cemetery serves as a memorial to the thousands of lives who gave their lives in the name of freedom. Veterans and their families from the battlefronts of the Middle East, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the two World Wars, and the American Civil War have been interred on these sacred grounds. Some notable sites and burials at the Arlington National Cemetery are the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy, USS Maine Mast Memorial, the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, and the Cross of Sacrifice. Visitors can also witness the elaborate and solemn ceremony of the Changing of the Guard - where a sentinel seamlessly takes over the guard duty for the previous sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Lincoln Memorial
Honoring one of the greatest presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, this Greek temple-inspired structure is located at the western end of the National Mall. Thirty-six massive columns, one for each of the 36 states of the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death, adorn the facade of this massive structure. The friezes above the columns bear the names of the states and the years they joined the Union. The steps leading up to the colonnade is where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech 'I Have A Dream' at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. An engraving marks the exact spot where he stood when he delivered the speech in front of more than 250,00 people. At the central open-air chamber, a stately and majestic 19-feet seated statue of Abraham Lincoln greets those who visit the site. On his sides are two of his famous speeches engraved on the wall - the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Taking inspiration from a line on his momentous speech - 'I Have a Dream' this memorial celebrates the life and struggles of the great Civil Rights activist and Baptist minister, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The centerpiece of the site is a 30-foot-high statue of King carved in pink granite named the Stone of Hope. It stands past two massive boulders that symbolize the 'mountain of despair.' Visitors pass through the Mountain of Despair to symbolically move through the struggles of the life of Dr. King before they arrive at the Stone of Hope. There is also a 450[feet long crescent granite wall which inscribed excerpts from many of King's sermons and speeches. A Council of Historians carefully selected the quotes engraved in the wall - which are chronologically arranged from the time of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott up to his final sermon in 1968 at the National Cathedral days before his assassination.
Washington Memorial
Towering above the National Mall as if it is watching over the Capitol, the massive stone obelisk dominates the National Mall's skyline. The iconic monument, at 555 feet tall, was once the tallest building in the world until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in France. With its might and height, the tower is a fitting memorial to the country's first president, George Washington. Much like how the United States developed to become a strong nation through conflicts, the Washington Monument itself endured many struggles before it soared to the great height it has reached. An elevator takes tourists to the observation deck on top of the obelisk where they are treated to a great view of the Capitol. Along the spiral staircase and through the elevator, guests can see the decorated memorial stones donated by different cities, states, and organizations in honor of the country's first commander-in-chief.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Dedicated in 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was built in honor of those who fought and served the three-year Korean War. The monument consists of multiple structures in honor of the servicemen who sacrificed during one of the most destructive conflicts after World War II. A mural wall made of black granite with sandblasted images of archival photos of soldiers and their equipment moving via land, air, and the sea is one of its primary features. The mural wall is extended to intersect the circular Pool of Remembrance, located at the apex of the triangle-shaped memorial. An impactful message, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, in 10-inch silver letters is written at the end of the wall intersecting the pool. It serves as a reminder for the sacrifice that the soldiers paid for the freedom that we enjoy today. Nineteen seven-foot stainless steel statues, moving in their ponchos which seems to be blown by the cold wind of Korea, is another prominent feature of the memorial. They represent all of the branches of the US armed forces who went into combat at the Korean Peninsula. When reflected at the mural wall, the number of statues seems to double to 38. The number symbolizes the 38th parallel that divided Korea into two sides. At the north end of the field of statues, the names of the 22 countries that fought under the UN Command during the Korean War are memorialized at the United Nations Curb.
Jefferson Memorial
Dedicated in honor of the third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands out in the Tidal Basin of the Potomac River among the cherry blossom trees. The building resembles the Pantheon in Rome and derived inspiration from Jefferson’s design for the rotunda at the University of Virginia. The memorial rests on a platform of circular marble steps that leads up to a portico and a circular colonnade of Ionic order columns. Surrounded by the colonnade is an open-air chamber topped with a magnificent dome. At the heart of the chamber is a 19-feet tall bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson. Inscribed in the frieze below the dome are words from a letter written by the late president to Dr. Benjamin Bush that says: ‘I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.’ On one of the panels of the interior walls, excerpts from the Declaration of Independence were engraved. The best time to visit the memorial is during spring - when one can enjoy the view of the cherry blossom trees around the banks of the river in full bloom.
