Conception

A permanent, evocative and beautiful monument to all disabled veterans— past, present and future— who have served or will serve in the U.S. military forces: This was the mission of the founders of The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

The project was conceived in 1998, when Lois B. Pope, a Florida philanthropist with a strong interest in veterans’ causes; Jesse Brown, the Secretary of Veterans A Gairs for the Clinton Administration; and Arthur H. Wilson, National Adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans, formed a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, The Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Inc. The Foundation’s mission was to develop and fund the Memorial and shepherd it through the arduous congressional authorization process.

The Foundation’s initial volunteer board of directors comprised Pope, serving as chairman; Wilson, president; Robert C. Miller, director; and two additional distinguished disabled veterans: director Kenneth G. Musselmann (deceased), National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans from 1986 to 1987, and treasurer Gene A. Murphy of South Dakota, who had also served as National Commander of the DAV, from 1987 to 1988. Brown became the Foundation’s first executive director.

“It is my vision to have an America that refuses to let policies and political gain interfere with the way we achieve our sacred obligation to care for our sick and injured disabled veterans,” Wilson stated. “An America that is not just grateful to her veterans but forever indebted. The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will stand as a permanent reminder of that obligation.”

Legislation And Fundraising

It is no small feat to establish a major memorial in a U.S. city, but in Washington, D.C., the stakes are especially high. All memorials in the capital are subject to the rigid standards of the U.S. Commemorative Works Act, which outlines 24 steps that must be completed in order for a memorial to be established. These include filing initial applications; drafting and approving legislation authorizing the establishment of the memorial and the ways in which it will be funded; selection and approval of the site by the National Capital Planning Commission and U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; approval of the memorial design by the National Park Service, the NCPC, CFA and the State Historic Preservation OG cer; submitting final plans, cost estimates and evidence of funds on hand for approval by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior; and, finally, construction and dedication.

In 1998, Congressmen Sam Johnson and John Murtha introduced legislation, H.R. 4847, for the House of Repreentatives to authorize the establishment of the Memorial. Senators John McCain and Max Clel and introduced corresponding legislation, S. 2646, for the Senate.

The following year, the same parties introduced bills in the House and Senate, H.R. 1509 and S. 311, respectively, authorizing the Memorial and designating the Foundation as the entity responsible for its design and construction, at no cost to the federal government. Both bills were passed, and on October 24, 2000, President William J. Clinton signed Public Law 106-348, establishing the Memorial.

As the design and project team coalesced, fundraising began in earnest. In addition to the solicitation of large donations from corporations, foundations and individuals, the Foundation initiated a direct-mail campaign to develop public awareness of the project, with the goal of achieving one million individual donors.

On January 23, 2007, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate that would require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 350,000 coins in commemoration of veterans disabled while serving in the Armed Forces. The American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on July 17, 2008. A $10 surcharge from each $1 coin sold would go toward building the Memorial.

The coins, composed of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, depict the legs and boots of three disabled veterans with the inscription "They stood up for us." The reverse side depicts a forget-me- not flower, a symbol of remembrance, and oak branches, representing strength, with the central inscription "Take this moment to honor our disabled defenders of freedom."

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Silver Dollar was issued on February 25, 2010; the surcharge from sales generated $2.81 million for the Foundation.

Design Competition and Site Selection

On Veterans Day in 2002, the Foundation launched a design competition, inviting 20 architecture and landscape architecture firms to participate. The following July, the Foundation selected the design of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, based in Alexandria, Virginia.

Vergason. Whose work can be seen at the National Cathedral; the U.S. Supreme Court; Monticello; the U.S. Cemetery at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France; and his alma mater, the University of Virginia. Envisioned a hallowed place amid the bustle of the city. His design would allow disabled veterans, their loved ones and caretakers a place for commemoration and quiet reflection within a grove of trees framed by granite and glass walls, punctuated by a ceremonial flame and a reflecting pool.

The design was beautiful and accomplished the three main goals the Foundation had set out in the competition brief. First, to create a memorial that was an aG rmative and serious expression of gratitude for the sacrifice of disabled veterans. A solid, permanent presence in the heart of the nation's capital. Additionally, the memorial would educate the public about the depth and breadth of the sacrifices made by disabled veterans. And finally, the Foundation stated, the project should serve as "a reminder to lawmakers of the human cost of conflict."

That last brief was vital. Proximity to the U.S. Capitol. A constant reminder to lawmakers of veterans and their issues. Was one of the primary motivations for selecting a site. In 2001, the Foundation submitted a report analyzing six potential locations. Of those, the Foundation's top recommendation was a 2.4-acre triangular site between Washington Avenue, C Street and Second Street SW, adjacent to Bartholdi Park. The site was preferred for its views of the Capitol; additionally, a memorial there would enhance an open space, allowing for maximum public use, and would not encroach on existing commemorative works. Further, the site opens to the larger city, passed by some 45,000 cars each day, and is along a regular route for Capitol Hill staGers who move among federal oG ce buildings each day. This confluence was seen as an asset, not a liability, as the constant movement around the site would activate the Memorial and, for those passing it every day, would serve as a constant reminder of the issues it invokes.

On August 30, 2001, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, approved the site. Final site approval was granted before the end of the year by the U. S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.

Design Work Continues

As the site was being secured, other design parties became involved in the project. Larry Kirkland. Whose largescale, multidimensional public artworks can be seen in institutional and municipal buildings, transit hubs and urban parks and plazas worldwide. Was brought in to give clarity to the design and offer insight into the most eGective messaging, as well as to enrich the Memorial with his evocative bronze sculptures.

The site's open plan, with access from all three sides, proved challenging. "It's hard to control the visitor experience if you don't control the messaging and you don't control the design, Kirkland explains. "Everybody who goes to the Lincoln Memorial has the identical experience: You walk up the steps, you walk into the big space and you look at the statue of Lincoln, you read the two texts, you turn around, and the sweep of monumental Washington is in front of you. With our site, because of the way it is laid out, it is very diG Cult to control how everybody experiences it."

To help create structure for visitors, the design was predicated on the notion that an inscribed stone wall would represent the voice of the government, while glass panels would reflect the personal voices of veterans and their caretakers. The Philadelphia-based environmental graphic design firm Cloud Gehshan Associates took charge of the presentation of the text and photographs on the glass walls, which serve as the Memorial's emotional centerpiece.

Washington-based firm Shalom Baranes Associates was selected as Architect of Record in 2009 following approval of the initial design work. The firm's focus was on the technical issues and completion of the construction documents, as well as coordination of the design team members. In addition to coordinating the design and engineering plans for the memorial site, Shalom Baranes oversaw adjoining utility and street work conducted by the District of Columbia.

Other crucial members of the architectural team were Fluidity Design Consultants of Los Angeles, brought on to develop the water feature, and Baltimore engineering firm RK&K, which designed the complex underground system of structural supports, mechanical systems, water and drainage pipes and utility lines.

Groundbreaking

On July 16, 2009, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the final Memorial design; a year later, the National Capital Planning Commission did the same.

Groundbreaking took place on November 10, 2010, in a ceremony attended by more than 500 veterans, leaders of the Foundation and DAV, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of Veterans A.airs Eric Shinseki.

Site and infrastructure improvements followed, including the relocation and recabling of secure communications lines serving House oG ce buildings, removal and relocation of data utilities lines and facilities, construction of a new duct bank for 11 high-voltage power lines and excavation and waterproofing of the tunnel roof of I-395, below the Memorial site. On August 12, 2012, the Department of Transportation awarded a grant of $6 million to make changes to streets surrounding the Memorial site, removing the last major obstacle to construction.

Dedication

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was dedicated on October 5, 2014. In attendance were more than 3,000 disabled veterans and their families, as well as numerous dignitaries, including Robert A. McDonald, Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior; and Robert Vogel, Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The proceedings were led by U.S. President Barack H. Obama, who gave a stirring speech.

“We gather here today, on this gorgeous autumn day in America, because each of you endured a moment that shaped the arc of your lives and that speaks to our debt as a nation,” President Obama began. His remarks continued, in part:

For more than two centuries, Americans have left everything they have known and loved— their families and their friends— and stepped forward to serve: to win our independence, to preserve our Union, to defend our democracy, to keep safe this country that we love. And when the guns fall silent, our veterans return home, ready to play their part in the next chapter of our American story. As a nation, we have not always fulfilled our obligations to those who served in our name. This is a painful truth. And few have known this better than our veterans wounded in war.

So, today we take another step forward. With this Memorial we commemorate, for the first time, the two battles our disabled veterans have fought— the battle over there, and the battle here at home— your battle to recover, which at times can be even harder, and certainly as long.

You walk these quiet grounds— pause by the pictures of these men and women, you look into their eyes, read their words— and we’re somehow able to join them on a journey that speaks to the endurance of the American spirit. And to you, our veterans and wounded warriors, we thank you for sharing your journey with us.

Here we get a glimpse of the wounds within— the veteran who says, “I relive the war every day.” Because no matter what war you served in— and whether they called it shell shock or battle fatigue or the thousand-yard stare or post-traumatic stress— you know that the unseen wounds of war are just as real as any other, and they can hurt just as much, if not more.

Here we’re reminded that none of you have made this journey alone. Beside each of you is a wife or a husband, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and neighbors and friends— who, day after day, year after year, have been there, lifting you up, pushing you further, rooting you on— like the caregiver who said, “I loved him for who he was in his heart. And he still had that.” Today we salute all your families, and the love that never quits.

And, finally, here we see that our wounded veterans are defined not by what you can’t do but by what you can do.

The dedication was a moving experience for the many in attendance. Vergason recalls seeing a woman closely examining and touching a Memorial photograph from World War II depicting four U.S. soldiers carrying a litter containing a wounded comrade.

“I asked her if she knew something about that photo or had some connection to it,” Vergason says. “She said that was her father on the litter.” In an extraordinary coincidence, the woman had seen a TV news program about the Memorial that happened to display the photograph of her father, so she decided to attend the dedication, bringing several other photos with her. Her reaction to the Memorial, Vergason says, was “a beautiful example of the emotional depth of the content on those walls.”