U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
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The United States Navy Memorial is a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
, Marine Corps,
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
, and the Merchant Marine. It lies on
Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...
NW between 7th Street Northwest and 9th Street Northwest, adjacent to the
Archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...
station of the
Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...
and the
National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...
building. The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
, through its National Mall and Memorial Parks administrative unit, provides technical and maintenance assistance to the foundation. The plaza is part of Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site. Associated with the memorial is the Naval Heritage Center, which offers spaces available for rent, and is open year-round.


History

Following the establishment of American independence following the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, architect Pierre L'Enfant envisioned a memorial in the nation's capital "to celebrate the first rise of the Navy and consecrate its progress and achievements." Excerpted from
Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...
, the boulevard that links the U.S. Capitol and
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
, was chosen as the site for a memorial to all of the U.S. sea services.


20th century

After President John F. Kennedy, a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Navy war veteran, inspired the redevelopment of Pennsylvania Avenue, another, Admiral
Arleigh Burke Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an Admiral (United States), admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during th ...
, proclaimed in 1977 that "we have talked long enough about a navy memorial and it's time we did something about it." In the spring of 1977, Burke, a former three-term
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
, started to recruit a group to form the private, non-profit U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation. The following year, the foundation, led by Rear Admiral William Thompson, USN (Ret.), began work on the enabling legislation, design, site selection, and fund raising that would lead to the construction and subsequent of a memorial.
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
authorized the memorial in 1980, with the stipulation that funding come solely from private contributions. In March 1980, President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
signed the act into law. The foundation teamed up with the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation to use Market Square as the site for the memorial. The pair selected William Conklin and
James Rossant James Stephan Rossant (August 17, 1928 – December 15, 2009) was an American architect, artist, and professor of architecture. A long-time Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Fellow of the American Institute of Archi ...
of New York as architects. By December 1985, the foundation had raised enough funds to earn a go-ahead from the Secretary of the Interior and construction got underway the following month. By August 1987, Stanley Bleifeld completed work on ''
The Lone Sailor ''The Lone Sailor'', a 1987 bronze sculpture, is a tribute to all the personnel of the sea services. The sculpture was created by Stanley Bleifeld, for the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. History Rear Admiral William Thompson w ...
'' statue as construction of the memorial neared completion at the site. The Lone Sailor has become the iconic symbol of the U.S. Navy Memorial's mission to Honor, Recognize, and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present, and future; and to Inform the public about their service
Replicas
of the Lone Sailor have been placed around the world in partnership with the Navy Memorial. The memorial was dedicated on October 13, 1987. From late 1987 to mid-1990, two buildings were constructed on the memorial's northern perimeter. The eastern of the two buildings was selected for the memorial's visitor center. The building's shell was sufficiently completed by September 1989 to allow construction to begin for the interior of the Visitors Center. The visitor center opened in June 1991 and was formally dedicated on October 12, 1991. Some $18-million was raised by opening day of the visitor center, and fund raising continues today, to retire remaining construction debt and support educational programs undertaken by the foundation.


21st century

During the summer of 2006, the water in the fountains of the Navy Memorial was colored blue with chemicals added to fight algae growth. According to a spokesperson for the memorial, the algae has been surprisingly difficult to eliminate, and that they "figured it was better to have blue water than to have an algae-encrusted memorial." The blue water was gone by the end of the summer. Memorial Plaza features ''The Lone Sailor'', a statue by Stanley Bleifeld and tribute to all personnel of the sea services overlooking the ''Granite Sea'', a map depicting the world's oceans, using an azimuthal projection centered on Washington, DC. Surrounding these are two fountains honoring the personnel of the American Navy and the other navies of the world. Its southern hemisphere is surrounded by 26 bronze
high relief High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
s commemorating events, personnel, and communities of the various sea services.


United States Navy Memorial Visitor Center

Adjacent to the plaza is the United States Navy Memorial Visitor Center. It is free to the public and a popular destination for tour groups visiting the nation's capital, including veterans, students, and reunion groups. The Visitor Center is a small museum that houses exhibits one story below street level like The American Sailor: Agile, Capable, and Talented and Zumwalt: The Current that Brought the Navy to the Shores of the 20th Century. The ''American Sailor'' tells the story of the birth of the United States Navy, and explores how individuals have defended the country at sea and provided U.S. military services wherever the seas extend over time. ''Zumwalt'' exhibits oral histories, personal keepsakes, family artifacts and first-hand written accounts of Zumwalt’ s life as CNO, leader, father, husband, and true American that propelled the Navy into the 20th century.' It is also home to the Navy Log room, where visitors can search for and enroll service members. The Navy Log is the nation's largest publicly available repository of Sea Service personnel. After visitors explore the exhibits, ship models, commemorative plaques, uniforms, and badges and insignia on display, they can step inside the Delbert D. Black National Chief's Mess. This interactive space informs the public about the important and unique role of a Navy Chief Petty Officer.   The Media Resource Center provides a library of printed, audio and video historical documents on the Navy. The Navy Log room has touch-screen kiosks to register and search for Sea Service members and
veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...
s.


Events at the Navy Memorial

The Navy Memorial hosts events throughout the year, both inside the Visitor Center and outdoors on Memorial Plaza, to strengthen the connection between the public and the Sea Services. This includes commemorative ceremonies throughout the year, outdoor movies, and performances by the United States Navy Band. The Navy Memorial also hosts virtual events like the speaker series, which provides opportunities for senior Naval leaders to update and engage interested Americans across the country and abroad about ongoing Navy efforts and operations.


Navy Log

The United States Navy Memorial's Navy Log is the nation's largest publicly available database of Sea Service personnel. It was established as a tribute to those who have served and a permanent archive of their military service. It has over 745,000 entries that include photos, service branches, significant duty stations, awards, and more.


Memorial quotes

On an outdoor wall at the Navy Memorial are engraved noteworthy sayings from the history of the US Navy, and who said them. Among which are: *"
I have not yet begun to fight! I, or i, is the ninth Letter (alphabet), letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western Languages of Europe, European languages and others wor ...
" – Captain
John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
– 1779 *"Don't give up the ship!" – Captain James Lawrence – 1813 *"
We have met the enemy and they are ours In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (objectiv ...
." – Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry – 1813 *" Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead." – Admiral
David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral, Vice admiral (United State ...
– 1864 *"You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." – Commodore
George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, wi ...
– 1898 *" Speak softly and carry a big stick." – President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
– 1907 *" Sighted sub, sank same" – Aviation Machinist's Mate 1/c Donald Francis Mason – 1942 *"Underway on nuclear power." – Commander
Eugene P. Wilkinson Eugene Parks "Dennis" Wilkinson (August 10, 1918 – July 11, 2013) was a United States Navy officer. He was selected for three historic command assignments. The first, in 1954, was as the first commanding officer of , the world's first nuclear-po ...
– January 17, 1955 *"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" – Astronaut and Naval Aviator
Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the Moon. He was al ...
– July 20, 1969 *"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" President John F. Kennedy, 1 August 1963, at
Bancroft Hall Bancroft Hall, at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis, Maryland, is said to be the largest contiguous set of academic dormitories in the U.S. Bancroft Hall, named after former United States Secretary of the Navy, U. ...
at the US Naval Academy


Other Navy memorials

* John Ericsson Memorial * John Paul Jones Memorial * National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific * Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial * Peace Monument (Naval Monument) * Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial * Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial * Seabees Memorial * UDT-SEAL Memorial *Monuments and memorials on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy * World War II Submarine Torpedo monument * Battleship ''Missouri'' Memorial – USS ''Missouri'' (BB-63) * Battleship ''New Jersey'' Museum and Memorial – USS ''New Jersey'' (BB-62) * USS ''Arizona'' Memorial (BB-39) * USS ''Bennington'' Monument * USS ''Indianapolis'' National Memorial * USS ''Maine'' memorials * USS ''South Dakota'' (BB-57) * USS ''Utah'' Memorial (BB-31) * USS ''YF-415'' Memorial, Bare Cove Park, Hingham, Massachusetts * List of United States submarines designated as memorials *Various memorials for Lt. Vincent R. Capodanno * Lt. Hans Grauert Memorial Field * Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Award * Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. AwardThe Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Award — also known as the "Don McLaughlin Award" — has been given annually since 1973 by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) to the nation's most outstanding college lacrosse midfielder in
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Division I, Division II, and Division III. The award is named for Lt. (j.g.) Donald MacLaughlin Jr. (U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1963), an
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
, Navy lacrosse midfielder, who died on a combat mission in South Vietnam in 1966.


See also

* American War Memorials * List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6 * Marine Corps War Memorial * Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument * U.S. Navy Museum


References


External links

*
National Mall and Memorial Parks
at Sites of Memory

at James Rossant Architects {{Authority control 1987 establishments in Washington, D.C. Buildings and structures completed in 1987 Fountains in Washington, D.C. Navy Mem Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Naval monuments and memorials Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania Avenue Penn Quarter Navy Mem Navy Mem
Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
Military and war museums in Washington, D.C.