The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Initial Design Concept at night. (Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation)
WASHINGTON — The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation on Wednesday revealed the initial concepts for a permanent tribute on the National Mall to honor the generations of Americans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“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,” Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation and a retired U.S. Army Green Beret, said in a statement.
“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 foundation in 2018 began collecting design input from more than 20,000 citizens. World-renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose designs include Japan National Stadium built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was selected to lead the design team.
A 23-member Design Advisory Council consisting of Gold Star family members, service members, veterans and veteran families was formed to ensure that lived experience, not symbolism alone, would inform every element of the design.
The foundation’s news release included a brief video showing the memorial located on Constitution Avenue near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.
Steel and stone relics recovered from the sites of the Sept. 11 attacks stand at each of the memorial’s three entrances, marking where the journey began.
Rising above the site is a classically inspired amphitheater, including an arch formed from a ribbon of soil, affectionately called “the embrace.” The arch is built of steel reclaimed from combat operations during the Global War on Terrorism and is covered in native vegetation.
The memorial’s orientation intentionally aligns with Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where many of the Global War on Terrorism fallen are laid to rest.
A path of honor primarily made in marble connects the memorial to other monuments on the National Mall. Footprints pressed into the path represent the weight of the war.
A shallow reflecting pool extends from the path. As visitors step through the water and back onto stone, their own footprints appear temporarily beside those of the service members. This interactive component offers visitors the chance to “walk alongside a loved one once more.”
“This memorial is not an abstract commission for our team; it is a sacred responsibility,” Kuma said in the foundation statement. “Our role was not to impose a design, but to listen. The voices of those who served and the families who stood beside them became our source of inspiration.”
