January 2012

Located in Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island, the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial honors the American sailors and marines killed at sea during World War I. Situated across the Potomac River from West Potomac Park and the National Mall, the memorial was designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett and completed in 1934.

To honor the sacrifices made during naval warfare, the memorial consists of seven gulls above a cresting wave. It stands 35 feet tall and 30 feet wide, with an aluminum cast atop a green granite base. The base was changed from concrete to granite during a Works Progress Administration project in 1940. 

Started in 1923, the Elks National Veterans Memorial honors the members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks who fought in American military conflicts. During the Annual Convention of the Order in 1926, members dedicated the memorial to more than 1000 Elks who died in World War I.

Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, the memorial was rededicated to remember the Elks who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It also serves as the national headquarters and overlooks Lincoln Park. 

The District of Columbia War Memorial honors the 499 Washington D.C. soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. Construction began following an act of Congress in 1931, and President Herbert Hoover dedicated the memorial on Armistice Day, November 11, 1931.

Located in West Potomac Park along Independence Avenue, the memorial received a $7.3 million refurbishment in 2010 and was re-opened to the public on November 10, 2011. 

Construction began on the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza in 1919 to honor the American servicemen who had fought in World War I. A prime example of the "City Beautiful" movement that stressed the beautification and cleanliness of American cities, city planners allotted five city blocks to the plaza.

Serving as the centerpiece of the plaza is the Indiana World War Memorial, modeled after the Persian Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Serving as both a memorial to fallen soldiers and a museum chronicling the history of Hoosiers in the armed forces, General John Pershing laid the cornerstone in 1927. The museum features prominent artifacts from World War I and World War II including the commission plate of the USS Indiana. 

In addition to the war memorial, the plaza hosts the national headquarters of American Legion, an organization founded by World War I veterans.