Introducing the newest war memorial in DC and the man who designed it at just 25 years old

WASHINGTON (7News) — Just across from the White House sits the newest war memorial in Washington, D.C., which stands for all of those who served and sacrificed during World War I. A war that has been over now for more than 100 years.

“It was the first time the United States was called upon to mobilize its forces and travel overseas," says Dan Dayton, who has served as the executive director of the World War I Centennial Commission.

He, along with a host of others, has been working for years to make this memorial come alive.

“When they got home they went back to their jobs, families, and farms," Dayton says. "They did that because in those days there were no war memorials in the nation's capital to speak of.”

In 1917, nearly 5 million men either signed up or were drafted for duty, many not over the age of 20. More than 100,000 never made it back home alive.

In less than two years, the U.S. helped win the war. Now, more than 100 years later, there are no more veterans alive from that war to tell their story.

“With no living veterans from World War I, how do you keep those memories alive?" asks Joe Weishaar, the young man who is the lead architect on this memorial. "The only way to do that is to keep telling their stories”."

He was working as an architect intern at a big firm in Chicago when he heard about the project. At 25 years old he submitted the winning bid. At the time, he didn’t know much about World War I, like many Americans. Now he’s a bit of an expert.

"All these guys were 20 to 25 years old," he said. "At the time, I was the same age. Felt a real connection with them. That more than anything started me down the path of wanting to submit designs."

Touring the memorial with Joe, you get a sense of his emotional connection to the stories he wants visitors to hear. To know about the sacrifices, the fear, the resolve, and the result. It’s a big job considering there are no more first-hand eyewitnesses to share with him what happened over their back in the early 1900s.

He’s just hoping everyone who visits will come away with the same feeling.

"I think by building this memorial 101 years after the conflict we are sending a powerful message to the country that service is never forgotten."

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