Newly released renderings show what the National Mall will look like after the completion of a proposed new memorial.
The Global War on Terrorism Memorial, if completed, will be built near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on what is currently a green space and a baseball field, according to DC News Now.
The memorial was first approved by Congress in 2017. Then, in 2021, lawmakers made an exception for the memorial that will allow it to be built in the National Mall’s central reserve area — where many of the mall’s most iconic memorials are located — making it the first memorial in decades to be built in the space.
Renderings show the memorial with elevated walkways, gardens, gathering spaces, a small reflecting pool, and educational material.
The central feature of the memorial appears to be a twisting crescent sculpture topped with grass that, according to the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, is made from “reclaimed war steel” and is meant to represent an “embrace.”
A walkway at the memorial will reportedly include steel and stone relics from the 9/11 terror attacks, the Washington Times reports.
Imprinted footprints at the site are intended to represent the “weight of the war and the lived experience of warriors, their families, and the communities who held them,” according to the website.
Michael Rodriguez, a veteran who served as a Green Beret during the conflict, was a leader in the effort to build a memorial to the people lost during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He currently serves as the president and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation and said the memorial will be focused on the people involved, and not the politics behind the conflicts.
“This memorial has nothing to do with policy or politics,” he told the outlet. “This is about the people of America that step forward to service.”
He said he hopes that veterans and those whose families were affected by the war will use the space for reflection and remembrance.
The memorial was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose friend died in the 9/11 attacks in New York City.
“This Memorial is not an abstract commission for our team, it is a sacred responsibility,” he said in a press statement. “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 project, though approved, still has some bureaucratic hurdles to clear before it becomes a reality. There are federal reviews that must be conducted, and further funding is needed to pay for the construction.
Rodriguez told DC News Now that the memorial’s fundraising campaign has already generated approximately $23 million, but its total goal is $125 million. Should it reach that goal, construction is expected to finish by 2029.
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