‘Bronze doesn’t talk’: Artist unveils 58-foot World War I sculpture in DC

WW1 sculpture unveiled in DC

Hundreds of people gathered along Pennsylvania Avenue in Northeast D.C. Friday for the unveiling of a nearly 60-foot sculpture wall honoring those who served in World War I.

“It feels amazing to be here. … They invited me to be sort of like a mascot of the project, and I couldn’t be prouder. This is so moving. The story behind it is magnificent,” actor Kelsey Grammer said as he choked back tears.

A Soldier’s Journey, a 58-foot bronze sculpture wall that has been in the works for four-and-half years, was unveiled at the National World War I memorial near the White House Friday evening.

People at ceremony for the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture
People at ceremony for the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture at the New World War I Memorial in D.C. on Friday, Sept. 9, 2024. (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
Kelsey Grammer
Actor Kelsey Grammer at the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture at the New World War I Memorial in D.C. on Friday, Sept. 9, 2024. (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)
The new World War I Memorial in D.C.
The New World War I Memorial in D.C. is a 3-acre site sitting along Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Freedom Plaza. The centerpiece is a nearly 60-foot wall of sculptures, which aim to tell a story from the start of the war to the end. (WTOP/John Domen)
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People at ceremony for the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture
Kelsey Grammer
The new World War I Memorial in D.C.

“This is really about what that sculpture stands for and who it celebrates and reveres, and those are the veterans. And it’s a sculpture for we, the people. Ultimately I’m a spokesperson, because bronze doesn’t talk,” Sabin Howard, the artist behind the 25-ton sculpture, told WTOP.

Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, told WTOP he was pleased the veterans of World War I are being honored: “The sacrifice of 118,000 killed and a couple 100,000 wounded changed the world for the better forever.”
Those who are behind the memorial previously told WTOP they feel that the location — between 14th and 15th streets Northwest, right across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Willard Hotel — actually provides a better home for the memorial than the National Mall does.

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Jimmy Alexander

Jimmy Alexander has been a part of the D.C. media scene as a reporter for DC News Now and a long-standing voice on the Jack Diamond Morning Show. Now, Alexander brings those years spent interviewing newsmakers like President Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney and Sean Connery, to the WTOP Newsroom.

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