Respectfully, This Ugly Memorial For America’s War On Terror Needs To Be Destroyed

The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation released its design for a war memorial Wednesday, and it’s downright hideous.

The modernistic concept has been eight years in the making. Twenty-thousand Americans, including veterans from every military branch and war since World War II, shared their input. But frankly, the result is pitiful. (RELATED: Doug Burgum Unveils Design For Trump’s Major Capital Golf Project)

The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation (@GWOTMF) has released the design concept for the GWOT Memorial which will be built on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Full announcement video here: https://t.co/kwIjR8l0OD pic.twitter.com/uByzFqiMrg

— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) June 10, 2026

The memorial will feature relics recovered from the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the entrances. The primary section is an amphitheater with an arch oriented to line up with Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery, where 1,000 service members killed in the War on Terror rest peacefully.

There’s also an interactive aspect; visitors will be able to dip their feet into a shallow pool of water and leave footprints as they retrace the journey of America’s fallen soldiers.

That is a nice touch. But ultimately, the arch design falls quite short.

It’s too modern and reminds one of something seen outside a European art museum. It looks like an average city park space. It doesn’t do justice to the sacrifices made by veterans.

Instead, let’s get statues of American soldiers cast in bronze like the Marine Corps memorial. Let’s get a classical design like the World War II memorial. Let’s do anything except modern. 

Modern design is ugly. It’s uninspiring. And it caters to the tastes of architects trying to impress other architects, not the people who will actually visit the memorial. The Vietnam War memorial is a modern design, but the names on that famous wall add a beautiful layer of humanity to something that would otherwise feel cold.

Americans, veterans, and veterans’ families deserve a beautiful memorial, something truly classical and grand. Whatever this is, it ain’t it.