The United States honors the American veterans of every major war of the 20th century with a national memorial in Washington, D.C., except the veterans of World War I.
We support the efforts to create a national memorial in the nation’s capital.
Approximately 4.7 million served the United States in the Great War. Those women and men served with the same valor and courage as veterans as later wars, and the nation’s sacrifice was great—204,000 Americans returned home wounded and more than 116,000 died.
In response, the people of Kansas City and the region came together and built one of the largest war memorials in the world. Dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926, and later designated by Congress as the National WWI Museum and Memorial, this landmark now stands as America’s leading institution dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact. Since then the Museum and Memorial has amassed the most comprehensive collection of World War I objects and documents in the world.
When the memorial in Washington D.C. is completed, it will join the world class Museum and Memorial in Kansas City in helping the nation to never forget its role in responding to President Woodrow Wilson’s call to “make the world safe for democracy”. We will work together to honor those who served, and to learn how the Great War continues to affect us to this very day.
As we commemorate the centennial in the Great War, we invite you to honor the heroism and sacrifice of the Americans who served with the creation of a national World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.
— Dr. Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial and Commissioner, United States WWI Centennial Commission