WWI1

Visitor Intro: media type="file" key="Julia Reich and Isabelle Blank VisitorIntro.mp3" align="center" width="240" height="20"

Works Cited Armstrong, Jennifer, et al. //The Century for Young People//. New York: Random, 1999. Print. Cooke, Tim. //History of the Modern World//. Vol. 7. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2000. Print. Gorman, Robert F. //Great Events from History: The 20th Century, 1901-1940//. Vol. 3. Pasadena: Salem, 2007. Print. "The Great War." //PBS//. Community Television of Southern California, 1996. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. . Place the Headstones Where They Belong: Thomas Neibaur, WWI Soldier by Sherman L. FleekReview by: Robert M. Hogge//Journal of Mormon History//, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Spring 2010), pp. 265-269Published by: Mormon History AssociationArticle Stable URL:  Shaping the National Voice: Poetry of WWIRendezvous with Death: American Poems of the Great War by Mark W. Van Wienen; The Poetry of Shell Shock: Wartime Trauma and Healing in Wilfred Owen, Ivor Gurney and Siegfried Sassoon by Danniel HippReview by: Heather Lusty//Journal of Modern Literature//, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Autumn, 2006), pp. 199-209Published by: Indiana University PressArticle Stable URL:  Velto, Bill. "Causes of WWI." 4 Mar. 2003. File last modified on 20 Mar. 2013. //PowerPoint// file. Velto, Bill. "Consequences of WWI." 11 Mar. 2003. File last modified on 26 Mar. 2013. //PowerPoint// file. Velto, Bill. "Course of Events of the First World War." 4 Mar. 2003. File last modified on 20 Mar. 2013. //PowerPoint// file. 

To Congress:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> World War I was the first war that encompassed all major world powers. Countries had a strong sense of nationalism after a century period of imperialism. America was enthusiastic about the war, and at the beginning it was celebrated by parades; American spirit and morale soared to new heights. Although WWI was not progressive in that it destroyed a generation of men and aspects of certain nations, it gave the chance for new technology to be used on the field and created a necessity for a female labor force. Additionally, the reconfiguration of European boundaries allowed for more centralized governments in smaller areas of land. The war may have devastated many countries, but in the end, the war catalyzed technological and societal progress, it diminished centuries old systems and propelled the world into the modern era. World War I caused the recognition of America as a world power, and defined our economy and national identity for decades. Because World War I was a watershed moment in both the world’s and nation’s history, it deserves a monument on the national wall.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> There are two parts to the monument, a ground level/above ground walkway and flag holder, and an underground part. The entire monument is circular. The below ground section’s purpose is to evoke the feeling of the trenches WWI soldiers had to fight in. In the below ground section, there is a white marble support in the center, and the walls of the below-ground portion are black marble with names of countries who participated in the war. Under the names, the number of casualties is written out to provide emotional impact so the viewer can understand the sacrifice soldiers made to fight in the war. Bronze stars symbolize the loss from each country, showing in both color and worth that the losses are recognized and remembered. Along with the countries who participated in the war, victims of the Armenian Genocide by the Turks have a star and the number 2 million. It is important to recognize this as a part of WWI, for it is a tragic event that is not given enough representation. There are two sets of granite stairs leading down into the “trench” from the above ground section. The granite stairs will be durable so that millions of people can walk on it every year and it won't have to be replaced (in turn decreasing long-term maintenance cost). However, the granite fits in well with the black and white marble scheme. The walkways around the center statue and on the trench's bottom are cement, to amplify the feeling of bunking in the trenches; not everything in the war was pretty and smooth (obviously). The trench battles will be listed on the central underground column for viewers to connect to specific events in the war. Around the rest of the column will be etchings of war-time images to create personal connections with the view. At the top, flags of all the countries who participated in the war are placed in a circle; they will fly rain or shine in order to acknowledge each country’s participation. Right below the flags, there is a cone-shaped support which is inscribed with American soldiers’ names. The cone is in white marble, to signify the purity in the sacrifice soldiers made in entering the war. The names are right below the flags to connect the individual to the greater country, and to show that for those soldiers who died, country came first.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 1.5;">This monument incorporates the idea of trenches because trench warfare was such a central experience of soldiers’ lives. The marble of the “trench” walls is black to reflect the mental strain trench warfare inflicted on so many soldiers. It is important that the visitors go down the steps into the “trench” and walk around the subterranean pathway to identify with the trench experience. The trench serves to highlight the central role trenches had on individuals and the war itself.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Today, the Armenian Genocide has had little recognition, and it is the duty of America, once a colony of outcasts itself, to honor those who perished in the Armenian Genocide. To ease the backlash and to avoid controversy over this aspect of the monument, the Victims of the Armenian Genocide will be renamed the Victims of the Period of Armenian Discrimination. This term will be less disputed because it does not define the slaughtering of the Armenians by the Turks as a genocide, which is an issue still debated today. Illuminating the lesser-known events in the war, this monument will be able to evoke strong emotion. By highlighting each country’s involvement in the war, and not focusing on the aspect of the war’s victory or loss, the monument reaches levels far past the specific war itself. Rather, the monument focuses on the unity of countries, of the universal human experience and conditions as it relates to war.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 1.5;">To amplify the connection of visitors to the individual who fought in the war, the series of names ringing the above-ground flag support can be viewed from all sides by the circular walkway. This monument, while it has interesting construction and many levels, is not to be played on due to the solemn mood of war itself. Visitors can rub the names of American soldiers, giving people something tangible to remember the individual. People will be able to walk around and absorb all the aspects of the monument at their own pace. The history, written on the walls of the memorial, both above ground and below, will be engraved in visitors' hearts.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 1.5;">This monument will be placed to the left of the Gorla Tree Plain Park. This location prevents friction between emotions evoked from both the Vietnam Memorial and WWII Memorial. The longer walk from either memorial would help to clear the mind of one tragic loss to the next. It is next to the highway, but this will not be an issue because the size of the monument will need all the attention it can get; the magnificence of the monument shouldn't take away from the grandeur of others on the Mall. It is on the same half of the Mall as the WWII Memorial, so it will make logical sense that it is on that side of the Mall. The isolation of the monument lends itself to the isolation the soldiers felt in the war, emphasizing the eerie feeling of being in the trench. It is a mix between the Vietnam Memorial and the WWII Memorial, with its list of names and circular structure, so in the National Mall, this monument will artistically fit as well.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">While visitors may be upset that because the memorial focuses on the war from a global view, yet it only includes the names of American soldiers, each country’s sacrifice is represented with a gold star and casualty count. In fact, the names of American soldiers are meant to represent the individual fighting in the war, not necessarily somebody bound to a certain nationality, but an individual who is lit by the human spirit. Some may also argue that because the American soldiers’ names are elevated above ground level, the designers see them as better than the soldiers of the other countries who are represented in the trench. The trench is not meant to be looked at as a lower level, rather a simulation of the individual’s experience in WWI. However, the US soldiers are also represented in the trench, and the American names serve to represent the soldier fighting in the war from no particular country. Nowhere on the cone support does it say the soldiers’ names are American, for they represent the individual soldier. It’s important that the memorial have names of soldiers to acknowledge the individual as well as the experience of the war and the nations that fought in it. Although the Armenian Genocide is a source of great embarrassment for Turkey, it is important to recognize the Victims of that tragic event. There is not much recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and it is important to recognize that piece of the war in this monument. The walls are etched in history; why should the victims of the Armenian Genocide and other countries be shut out?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Artistic Directors,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Isabelle Blank and Julia Reich