First Division Monument

History

The First Division Monument was conceived by the Society of the First Division, the veterans' organization of the U.S. Army's First Division (later renamed the 1st Infantry Division), to honor the soldiers who fought in World War I. It was dedicated October 4, 1924, and is inscribed with the names of 5,516 fallen servicemen. The monument was built using Milford pink granite. Later additions commemorate soldiers who died in subsequent wars: the World War II addition on the west side was dedicated in 1957 (4,325 names), the Vietnam War addition on the east side in 1977 (3,079 names), and the Desert Storm plaque in 1995 (27 names).

In 1965, a #1 red annuals flowerbed (bed length 181 ft) was added in front of the monument as part of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson’s beautification plans. Congressional approval was obtained to erect the monument and its later additions on federal ground. Cass Gilbert was the architect of the original memorial, and Daniel Chester French was the sculptor of the Victory statue. Gilbert's son, Cass Gilbert Jr., designed the World War II addition.

Both the Vietnam War addition and the Desert Storm plaque were designed by the Philadelphia firm of Harbeson, Hough, Livingston, and Larson. The Iraq and Afghanistan additions are designed by HOK Group, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. The Society of the First Division (later called the Society of the 1st Infantry Division) raised all the funds for the original monument and its additions; no federal money was used. Today, the monument and grounds are maintained by the National Park Service.

Adding names of the fallen from recent conflicts

Department of the Army Policy requires an official campaign to end before names of soldiers killed in that campaign may be added to the monument. The Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division has approved the criteria for determining names and units the Society may add to the First Division Monument. There are 631 names, along with their units to be added, with each name listed under the unit they served at the time: 439 from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn (Iraq), and 192 from Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). In 2019, Congress passed the First Act to authorize the Society of the First Infantry Division to make modifications to the First Division Monument located on Federal Land in President’s Park in the District of Columbia. The Society is raising funds to add the 631 names to the monument, with a goal to add them before Memorial Day 2024.