Tourist attractions in Washington D.C. : US Air Force Memorial

The US Air Force Memorial is located in Arlington County, near Washington D.C. The memorial lies at the intersection of Columbia Pike and South Joyce Street, on the grounds near the Pentagon and the Arlington National Cemetery. It is one of many in the area which honors the men and women who served the US military. This one honors the more than 54.000 men and women who have died in combat while serving the Air Force and its predecessor organizations. The Air Force is one of four service arms in the US army, together with the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Coastal Guard. 

Photo by Kevin H.

The story behind this memorial began in 1992, when the newly acknowledged Air Force Memorial Foundation suggested that a memorial in honor of the Air Force personnel should be built. The plans were authorized by the current president, Bill Clinton, in 1994. The construction of the memorial began in September 2004 and finished seven months later. The official dedication was held in 2006 under presence of the then current president George W Bush, who himself previously served as an F-102 pilot, together with around 30.000 people in the audience. 

Photo by Rob Crawley

The US Air Force Memorial is a beautiful piece, dominated by three tall spires, ranging from 61 to 82 meters in height. The spire structures are made of stainless steel plates with high-strength concrete filling the lower 2/3rds of each spire while the upper third is hollow stainless steel. 

Photo by Official U.S. Air Force

The spires have a very modern elegant design. There is also a lot of though behind why the spires look the way they do. The spires symbolize a flying maneuver, known as a “bomb-burst”, where the planes fly close to each other upwards and then splits in different directions. Imagine that there is a plane at the top of the spires with each spire representing the jet-stream caused by the planes. Only three of the normal four contrails are depicted, as the absent fourth suggests the “missing man formation” traditionally used at Air Force funeral fly-overs. 

Photo by mdesisto

Next to the spires you can see four bronze statues of the Honor Guard, made by the renowned sculptor, Zenos Frudakis, and behind them a black granite inscription wall. The wall bears inspirational quotations regarding the Air Force's three core values; “integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do”. The three spires not only represent the “bomb-burst” maneuver, but also these three core values. On the opposite side, visitors can see a free-standing glass wall depicting four F-16s flying in a missing man formation. Behind the glass stands the second inscription wall which bears the names of Air Force recipients of the Medal of Honor.

The US Air Force Memorial with its spectacular design has become another one of the many loved memorials in the area.

Text Source: worldsiteguides.com