Beyond “Thanks for Your Service”: The Future Global War on Terrorism Memorial Must Foster Crucial Engagement

As objects of public commemoration, there is an expectation that national war and veteran memorials draw coherent narratives from numerous, often contradictory, experiences. In return, visitors bestow these places with an extraordinary amount of authority, allowing them to define the essence of events from years ago. As pieces of material culture, memorials can shape notions of the truth of a war for generations. This research investigates the implications that emerge for site programming when a four-truth framework is applied to the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial, which is currently in the planning phase. With data from on-site observations of visitors at existing war and veteran memorials, semi-structured interviews with key staff and GWOT veterans, and a review of memorial literature, the research examines the ways current memorials have, or have not, evolved to include new narratives and the already contested nature of their subjects. The findings suggest that for the GWOT Memorial to achieve its goals, it must be deliberately designed with a capacity to enable shared reflection, honor multiple perspectives and stories, and acknowledge new insights over time. These actions are the essence of crucial engagement.