New Washington, D.C. memorials are striking

The Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., has 19 stainless steel statues standing silently as if on a reconnaissance mission. Courtesy photo

Susan Doak

Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society

There are many things we might say this wonderful country doesn’t always get right, but after visiting Washington D.C. again after several years, I will say with some sadness that we get our memorials right. Since I had last visited D.C., which was prior to 911, several more had been built, but I want to mention the two which actually took my breath away.

The stunning Pentagon Memorial honors the 184 people who died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. Courtesy photo

Completed in 1995, the Korean War Memorial is located near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. Called the “forgotten war,” the Korean war occurred between June 25, 1950 and July 27, 1953. American casualties are listed as 54,246, with an additional 103,284 listed as wounded.

Nineteen stainless steel statues stand silently as if on a recon mission in a bed of juniper bushes which make you think they are in the rice paddies of Korea. The faces of these statues reflect the population of the United States armed forces with Asian-American, Afro-American, Native American and Caucasian features.

The walls stretching along the walkway are 41 panels of highly polished black granite upon which over 2,400 photographs of service men and women from that period are etched. On the wall that extends into the reflection pool is the reminder: “Freedom is not Free”.

As my photo shows, these 7’ statues are so lifelike that it gives you pause as you walk into the area. I was assured that had we gone at night when the statues are lit from below, it would have been more so. If you travel to D.C., don’t miss the opportunity to see this memorial. It was financed by private contributions.

We did stop to see the memorial at the Pentagon at night, which is, in my opinion, the only time to see the full magnitude of the design. Opened in 2008, this outdoor memorial honors the 184 people who died when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon on 911.

Designed as benches, each memorial bears the name of the victim honored. When you view this beautiful tribute at night, lights shine from below the benches illuminating the reflection pool under each one and creating the vision of the tail of a airplane either facing away (symbolizing the 59 passengers on Flight 77) from the Pentagon or towards it (symbolizing the 125 people who died in the building).

Arranged in rows according to the year of birth of each victim, each row is marked with a plaque with the year of birth engraved upon it. The youngest, Dana Falkenberg, was 3 and the oldest, John Yamnicky, was 71. At the base of each pool of water flowing underneath is a listing of family members of the deceased who also died that day. It is a contemplative memorial which seems to command that you consider the gravity of what occurred on 911 and grieve for the people who died that day.

We of course visited the Vietnam Wall, the World War II Memorial, and the World War I Memorial that was erected by the District of Columbia to honor their fallen citizens in that war. Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial and the Library of Congress were also on our list just to name a few. I did my first subway ride and must admit that what the TV portrays as subways and what we traveled on were two different worlds. We also walked 18 miles in three days and there were many times I looked at the tour buses with jealousy as my feet cried for relief, but truly we saw so much more by walking than by just passing by.

The Big Give is coming up and SWNGS has been added to the organizations allowed to receive contributions through it. Please remember us with a donation, we are a small organization accomplishing big things when it comes to preserving the past for SW Nebraska.