Eisenhower Memorial Dedicated

September 17, 2020 by Dan McCue
Eisenhower Memorial Dedicated
Dwight D. Eisenhower National Monument. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON – A long-awaited memorial honoring president and World War II commanding general Dwight D. Eisenhower was dedicated Thursday night and is open to the public as of Friday.

The new garden memorial was originally slated to open on May 8, the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, but was delayed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even with the delay, the dedication, hosted by Fox News anchor Bret Baier, had to be scaled back in acknowledgement of ongoing requirements for mask wearing and social distancing.

While Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, of Kansas, delivered an address in a soft rain Thursday evening honoring the former president, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s comments were pre-recorded for the event.

There were also performances and appearances by the 101st Airborne Honor Guard, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band and Voices of Service.

Invited guests included President Donald Trump, current and former members of Congress, cabinet members and the Eisenhower family.

Appearing on C-SPAN Thursday morning, Sen. Roberts, chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Committee, described the monument’s location, on Independence Avenue, directly across from the Air and Space Museum, as “a beautiful site.”

Reflecting on Eisenhower the man, Roberts said the president was “unique in that he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, defeating Nazi Germany, and then he went on to be president, bringing us 8 years of peace and prosperity.”

“I think most historians look at a crisis that happens in an administration and they talk about that a lot, but he prevented the crisis and, as he said, the proudest thing he could say was that no American man or woman in uniform lost their life during his 8 year presidency.”

Roberts added: “He waged war and then he waged peace to bring America to the world stage.”

As Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II, Eisenhower led the invasion of Normandy, a turning point in the war.

In his two terms as 34th president of the United States, Eisenhower is credited with spurring advances in education, transportation and exploration.

Architect Frank Gehry’s $150 million tribute to Eisenhower features three bronze sculptures by Sergey Eylanbekov depicting the former president at different points in his life, starting with his boyhood in Kansas. 

Another notable feature is a stainless steel woven tapestry framing the memorial by artist Tomas Osinski, which depicts the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on the Normandy coastline in peacetime.

There are also stone bas-relief images and inscription panels with words from throughout Eisenhower’s career.

A+
a-
  • 101st Airborne
  • Bret Baier
  • Condoleezza Rice
  • District of Columbia
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Eisenhower Memorial
  • Sen. Pat Roberts
  • United States Marine Band
  • World War II
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    In The News

    April 26, 2025
    by Beth McCue
    New Poll Finds Tipping Point on Business Attitudes to Renewable Energy Shift  

    A new poll conducted across 15 countries, by Savanta and commissioned by E3G, Beyond Fossil Fuels and We Mean Business... Read More

    A new poll conducted across 15 countries, by Savanta and commissioned by E3G, Beyond Fossil Fuels and We Mean Business Coalition  shows overwhelming support for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewable electricity.   Powering up: Business perspectives on shifting to renewable electricity indicates a... Read More

    April 25, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Kennedy Unveils Plan to Expand Access to Sickle Cell Treatment

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a morning keynote address before a group of state lawmakers... Read More

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a morning keynote address before a group of state lawmakers in Charleston, South Carolina, to unveil a new initiative intended to expand access to the latest treatments for sickle cell disease. Kennedy offered few details in... Read More

    April 25, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Rubio Welcomes Iraqi Foreign Minister for High-Level Talks

    WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for high-level talks at the State Department... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for high-level talks at the State Department on Friday, a clear sign the Trump administration is forging strategic dialogues in the face of shifting dynamics in the Middle East. After the meeting, Hussein,... Read More

    April 25, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Government Lawyers Mistakenly Admit New York Congestion Pricing Is Legal

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s lawyers appear to have booby-trapped their own chances this week of defeating New York City’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s lawyers appear to have booby-trapped their own chances this week of defeating New York City’s congestion pricing program that charges motorists for driving downtown. They inadvertently filed a memo with the court overseeing a lawsuit between the state and federal government... Read More

    Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

    CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as... Read More

    CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he learned his punishment for the crimes that led to his expulsion from Congress. Santos, who pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft,... Read More

    Whooping Cough Cases Rising Again in the US

    Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in... Read More

    Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in 2025, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top