Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th President, has joined 6 other Americans with a National Monument on the Mall in Washington, DC. It was dedicated on September 15, 2020, and opened to the public September 18, 2020. Before serving as President, Eisenhower was the European Allied Commander during World War II. The other Presidents so honored in our National Capital are Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the 2 Roosevelts, and John Kennedy with the Kennedy Center.
Frank Gehry designed this 150 million dollar tribute to Dwight Eisenhower, commonly known as Ike during his presidential years. One of the displays on view is a tapestry showing the Coast of Normandy where US troops under Eisenhower landed on D-Day in 1944. This monument is within view of the Capitol Building, and it opened under budget.
During his 2 Presidential terms Dwight David Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System, NASA, and the FAA. He appointed 5 Supreme Court justices and desegregated schools in The South. He presided over 8 years of peace and post-war prosperity. Some called him a do nothing President who played too much golf.
During his Presidency Donald Trump has approved 6 new National Monuments (NM) and opened the Eisenhower Monument described above. We now have the Jurassic NM in Utah established on March 12, 2019. It marks the spot where 74 dinosaurs were found in a quarry. The Camp Nelson Heritage NM was established on October 26, 2018. It exists at the place in Kentucky where in 1863 a Union Army Depot during the Civil War recruited men to serve as African American Union soldiers. The Saint Francis Dam Disaster NM is in California. It was created on March 12, 2019 to remember the place where a reservoir holding LA’s water supply failed in 1928. 431 people died. The remains of the dam’s base can still be seen. The Mill Springs Battlefield NM also in Kentucky was officially created on March 16, 2019 to recognize the place where a Civil War battle in 1862 resulted in the 1st major victory for the Union Army. The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home in Jackson, MS became a National Monument in March, 2019. Medgar Evers was a Civil Rights activist who was assassinated in front of this home in 1963. It remained in the family for another 30 years. Of the five above, only the Evers home and Mill Springs are authorized but not yet established units among the array of National Monuments.
The 6th Trump authorized National Monument was announced at Mount Rushmore on July 4, 2020. When it formally exists, it will be known as the National Garden of American Heroes with lots of statues of recognizable heroes like Amelia Earhart, Booker T. Washington, and the Wright Brothers. It will be opened by July 4, 2026. At least that is the current plan.
The photos above are of Joshua Tree NM, the Colorado NM, Canyon de Chelly NM in Arizona, and Chiricahua NM also in Arizona, which is one of my favorites.
Hank
Security Conscious 