Larence R. Armstrong, CEO of international design firm Ware Malcomb, has designed a first-of-its-kind Post 9-11 War Memorial to honor the military service men and women who have lost their lives in the war on terror.
The Post 9-11 War Memorial is being developed with the nonprofit group Welcome Home Troops, which was founded in 2007 to make a difference in the lives of military families by creating opportunities to reconnect with family, friends and their communities.
The memorial has been designed as a mobile installation that will travel from city to city across the United States. It is expected to make three to four stops each year in coordination with national veteran’s organizations and their local branches.
“It was a humbling assignment, but I was inspired by the idea of honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting the war on terror,” said the artist Lawrence R. Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of Ware Malcomb.
“The layered glass panels on the exterior represent the fragility of human life and the layers of emotion that our military families feel. The reflective and multi-faceted nature of the memorial as a whole evokes the emotional layers that we all experience. It was an honor for me to be a part of this project.”
The circular memorial will have the name of every member of the military that has given their life in the war on terror permanently etched on the exterior glass panels. The pavilion is 30 feet in diameter and rests on a platform of approximately 70 feet by 100 feet. It is clad in hundreds of glass panels attached to a stainless steel exterior skin, and will be able to be easily disassembled, moved and re-constructed in multiple locations.
The interior space of the structure will feature advanced digital video display boards, working with Facebook 360 and other partners of the Internet Marketing Association to create a state-of-the-art, virtual environment. Friends and family members of each hero will have the opportunity to upload information (pictures, videos, text, etc.) into a permanent database that will be accessible to the public through those displays (and a dedicated responsive website/app/digital platform).
“From the deserts of Iraq to the caves of Afghanistan, over 6,000 brave men and women to date have served and given their lives in the war on terror,” said Sue Rebar, Founder of Welcome Home Troops. “The creation of this traveling memorial will truly bring national recognition of this tremendous service and sacrifice.”
A national fundraising campaign has begun for the construction of the Post 9-11 War Memorial. For more information, visit www.P9-11wm.org
