Designs for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial, which will be built between the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, were publicized Wednesday.
The design features a small reflecting pool, a twisting metal crescent topped with vegetation, and footstep imprints, as seen in a video posted on YouTube by the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, the nonprofit tasked by Congress to fund and build the monument.
The crescent, made from “reclaimed war steel” and referred to on the foundation’s website as “the embrace,” is designed to let light filter through and create shadows that “reveal stories, memories and moments of connection.”
The walkway between the memorial and the National Mall will include steel and stone relics from the 9/11 terror attacks that set off the war on terror as a symbol of “endurance and freedom.”
The footstep imprints, meanwhile, represent “the weight of war and the lived experience of warriors, their families and the communities who held them,” the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation said on its website.
The memorial is also oriented on an axis to align with section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, which contains the remains of many war on terror veterans.
The memorial’s design team is led by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who lost a friend in the 9/11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center.
Mr. Kuma said in a release, “This Memorial is not an abstract commission for our team, it is a sacred responsibility. … We wanted to create a place of reflection and connection, a living Memorial where nature, light, and the materials of this war come together as an embrace for a grateful Nation.”
The memorial will be located at 23rd Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW and Henry Bacon Drive NW, the foundation said on its website. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with a planned opening date sometime in 2028.
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