A mock-up for a new memorial on the National Mall drew criticism from Republicans and veterans after it was revealed by the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation on Thursday.
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), who served in Afghanistan, called the proposal a disgrace.
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“Thousands of heroic Americans sacrificed everything in service to our nation during the Global War on Terror,” Banks said. “These were real people with real stories. They deserve to be honored with dignity, not disconnected abstract art.”
The memorial honors the fallen service members who served in the global war on terrorism. Standing in the National Mall, the memorial is positioned to align directly with Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery.
The foundation described the structures as “reclaimed war steel, covered by living vegetation” that “arches over the earth in the form of an embrace.”
“Light filters through, casting shadows that reveal stories, memories, and moments of connection — even in the darkest places,” the memorial website says.
The abstract crescent-shaped memorial has no statues. Instead, it features a path laden with symbolic footprints, and each entrance has stone and steel relics from the 9/11 attacks.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) also expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed design.
“This design is a disappointing landscape feature better suited to a hotel courtyard or mini golf course than a monument to the courageous men and women who fought and the lives lost to radical Islamic terrorism,” Lee said.
Lee criticized that the memorial doesn’t feature any nameplates for fallen service members, as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial does, and said the project should be restarted with an entirely new design and team.
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is the project’s lead designer. He and his team are assigned to work closely with the memorial’s board of directors and the Design Advisory Council, “a body consisting of more than 20 Gold Star family members, active duty service members, and additional stakeholders,” the website says.
Elliot Ackerman, a Marine veteran and former CIA officer, and Jennifer Ballou, retired master sergeant and gold star spouse, serve as co-chairs of the Design Advisory Council.
Former President George W. Bush is the memorial’s honorary chairman, while veteran and former Green Beret Michael Rodriguez serves as the project’s president and CEO.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who called the design an “abomination,” said there is bipartisan support “to stop this proposed Jazz Hands monument to our fallen brothers and sisters.”
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Van Orden said the foundation is “officially on notice,” and will be held “organizationally and personally accountable” if the group decides to continue with the present design. The foundation said it conducted surveys about the memorial’s design. More than 60% of respondents wanted green space around the memorial, with half hoping the design would incorporate water. Nearly 70% said they’d like the memorial in an intimate setting, and more than 80% hoped to see the memorial lit at night.
The memorial foundation was founded in 2015. In 2017, Congress passed the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law that same year. Construction for the memorial is set to begin in 2027, with the projected completion date being in 2028.
