Military veterans and several lawmakers are criticizing a newly unveiled design for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial, saying the proposal is too abstract and fails to adequately honor service members who were killed.
The concept, created by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, has been described as a “classically inspired amphitheater.” Its centerpiece is a ribbon-like structure made from reclaimed steel from combat operations and covered in vegetation, arching above the monument’s marble surface.
The planned memorial would also feature steel and stone recovered from the sites of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, placed at its entrances. A shallow reflecting pool is also part of the design, allowing visitors to leave their footprints beside embedded impressions meant to symbolize “the weight of war and the varied experiences of those who served and their families,” according to the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, which is seeking to build the monument on the National Mall in Washington.
Opponents of the proposal, however, say the foundation should reconsider the concept entirely.
“This design is a disappointing landscape feature better suited to a hotel courtyard or mini golf course than a monument to the courageous men and women who fought and the lives lost to radical Islamic terrorism,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X.
Lee also called for a fresh start, arguing that American designers should be given the opportunity to create a memorial that more fittingly reflects the sacrifice of those who served. “There are American designers ready and willing to inspire their countrymen and honor those who served,” he wrote. “Let’s start over and hire one of them.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), a retired Navy SEAL, indicated there is bipartisan support in both the House and Senate âto stop this proposed Jazz Hands monument to our fallen brothers and sisters. â
Van Orden warned he would hold the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation âorganizationally and personally accountable if you proceed with [this] abomination.â
Fox News contributor and Marine veteran Joey Jones lamented that âconsidering how Afghanistan ended … maybe we survivors deserve the ugliest memorial on the mall … but the warriors eternally resting under a modest headstone deserve better than whatever this [Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation] grass-topped abstract art project is.â
Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, called the proposal âa disgrace.â
âThousands of heroic Americans sacrificed everything in service to our nation during the Global War on Terror,â Banks wrote on X. âI served in Afghanistan. These were real people with real stories.
âThey deserve to be honored with dignity, not disconnected abstract art.â
The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation did not immediately respond to The Postâs request for comment.
The foundation, in a press release, said it gathered input from â20,000 Americans across all 50 states and territories, including members of every branch of service and veterans of every conflict since World War IIâ before settling on the memorialâs design.
The group also noted that âa 23-member Design Advisory Council of Gold Star family members, veterans, veteran families, and service members guided the design team, ensuring that lived experience, not symbolism alone, would inform every element of the design.â
âThis Memorial is not an abstract commission for our team, it is a sacred responsibility,â Kuma, the architect of the memorial, said in a statement,
Kuma, who noted he lost a close friend in the attacks on the World Trade Center, said his role was ânot to impose a design, but to listen.â
âThe voices of those who served and the families who stood beside them became our source of inspiration,â he said.
âWe 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.â
