9/11 Special Forces monument to be re-dedicated

America's Response Monument, the nation’s first publicly accessible monument dedicated to U.S. Special Forces, will be re-dedicated overlooking the National 9/11 Memorial area in Liberty Park on Sept. 13.

The statue, conceived by sculptor Douwe Blumberg, was commissioned by an anonymous group of Wall Street bankers who lost friends in the 9/11 attacks. The sculpture honors the servicemen and women of America’s Special Operations response to 9/11, including those who fought in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Subtitled De Oppresso Liber, the monument is a life-and-a-half scale bronze statue that is unofficially known as the Horse Soldier Statue.

Embedded in the statue’s base is a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. The monument's inscription says the steel "symbolizes the connection between the events of 9/11 and the actions of the special operations heroes this monument honors."