The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation unveils its long-awaited design concept that will honor GWOT servicemembers and their families.
The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation on June 10 unveiled the long-awaited design that will pay tribute to servicemembers and families involved in GWOT.
The design incorporates a living place of reflection, a concept shaped by 20,000 Americans and a 23-member Design Advisory Council of Gold Star family members, veterans and servicemembers. It is organized around a single architectural gesture: “the embrace,” a vegetated arch of reclaimed steel rising from the earth and returning to the ground.
“This design was shaped by history and held sacred from the beginning — forged by sacrifice and informed by the voices of warriors and their families,” said Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, an American Legion member and a retired Army Green Beret. “Throughout history, societies have built sacred places to welcome their warriors home, places where a grateful people can say, ‘We see you. We honor you. You are not forgotten.’ The GWOT generations deserve that same enduring tribute. Today, we take one step closer to welcoming them home.”
The memorial will be located at the intersection of 23rd Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, and Henry Bacon Drive NW, near the Lincoln Memorial, in the Reserve area of the National Mall, Washington, D.C. The memorial will occupy 33,524 square feet, or 0.77 acres.
“This design is the culmination of nearly a decade of listening, learning and working alongside the generations of Americans who answered our nation’s call during the Global War on Terrorism, and it reflects the service, sacrifice, healing and unity that define their experience,” Rodriguez said. “The American Legion has been with us from the beginning, and we are profoundly grateful for their unwavering commitment to ensuring the GWOT generations and their families receive the permanent place of honor they have earned on our nation’s most sacred civic landscape.”
Looking ahead, a groundbreaking is planned for the middle of next year with the formal dedication expected in late 2028.
The architect for the project is Kengo Kuma of Kengo Kuma & Associates. (Revisit our special podcast series featuring the GWOT memorial, including an episode with Kuma.)
Some highlights of the memorial design:
◦ The embrace: A classically inspired amphitheater, incorporating a peaceful arch covered in living vegetation, with a structure built from melted-down war steel from vehicles and weapons used in the Global War on Terrorism. Light filters through the structure, casting shadows across the path below.
◦ Path of Honor: A primarily marble path threading through the memorial, with footprints representing those who served pressed into its surface, representing the weight of war and the experiences carried by warriors and their families.
◦ Reflecting pools: One of which is a shallow walk-through pool extending from the path. As visitors step through and back onto the stone, their footprints appear temporarily beside those of the servicemembers.
◦ Entrance relics: Three entrances, each marked by sacred steel, debris and stone relics recovered from the sites of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
◦ Illumination: The memorial is designed to be illuminated at night, giving it life, ensuring it functions as a living place of reflection available at any hour.
- Honor & Remembrance