By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, January 27, 2016 — The United States World War
One Centennial Commission yesterday announced the winning design concept for a
national memorial for what was known at the time as “The Great War.”
The incredible service and sacrifice of those who served in
World War I a century ago finally will be honored in a memorial in the nation's
capital, said Edwin Fountain, the commission's vice chairman.
Fountain, the grandson of two World War I veterans,
announced the winning design concept at an event at the National Press Club
here.
The winning concept is "The Weight of Sacrifice"
by 25-year-old Joe Weishaar, a yet-to-be licensed architect, and veteran
sculptor Sabin Howard.
The design concept met the challenges of creating a concept
for such an important memorial, Fountain said. Those challenges, he explained,
included finding an appropriate way to honor the magnitude of the service and
sacrifice of the nearly 5 million people who served and the more than 116,000
who died.
Will Be Located Near White House
In addition, Fountain said, the design concept had to work
into the surrounding landscape, complement the iconic architecture and design
of historic Washington, and serve as a city park.
The memorial will be located in Pershing Park, near the
White House. While the National Mall, where other war memorials are located,
would be the preferred location, a law prohibits new construction on that
expanse, Fountain said.
Architectural perspective drawing of the winning design for
the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Image courtesy of Joe Weishaar
& Sabin Howard
Architectural perspective drawing of the winning design for
the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Image courtesy of Joe Weishaar
& Sabin Howard
Besides serving as a permanent tribute to the service
members, the memorial is meant to educate Americans and inspire them to learn
more about the largely overlooked war that has profound influence to this day,
Fountain said.
Honoring Those Who Served in Overlooked War
Those who fought and died in World War I did so with the
"same courage and tenacity and sacrifice" as veterans of wars that
have national monuments in Washington, Fountain said. Those who served in The
Great War, he added, withstood the inferno of artillery barrages, and went down
to the bottom of the sea in their ships.
"They fell from the skies in burning wreckage of
airplanes, and they charged out of trenches across open fields and into woods
and up hills that the enemy had spent years fortifying to defend," he
said.
The service and sacrifice on such a scale must be
commemorated, he said, adding it would be an injustice to not have a national
memorial in Washington for them.
World War I began in July 1914 with the assassination of
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It ended with the armistice on Nov. 11,
1918.
Memorial to 'Restore the Honor'
There are no living World War I veterans, Fountain noted,
but descendants of those who served in the war have supported the efforts for
the memorial.
Sandra Pershing's late husband, Jack Pershing, was the
grandson of World War I Army Gen. John J. Pershing. The memorial is of
tremendous significance to her family and the nation, she told the audience at
yesterday’s event.
While noting there is a statue for General Pershing in
Washington, she said her husband felt strongly there should be a memorial to
honor the millions of others who served.
"Today we're going to start to restore the honor that
has been so long in coming," she said.
Commission Hopes for 2018 Dedication
The winning concept will go through an extensive design
review from a number of agencies, including the Commission of Fine Arts, the
National Capital Planning Commission, and the National Park Service, Fountain
said.
The commission hopes to begin construction on Veterans Day
2017, with a possible dedication on Veterans Day 2018. The commission is
looking to raise $30 million to $40 million for the memorial, Fountain said.
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