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The Women in Military Service for America Memorial is located at the Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and honors all women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. New York architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, husband and wife, designed the memorial. Planning for the memorial began as early as 1985, with the groundbreaking occurring 10 years later on June 22, 1995. The Memorial was dedicated on October 18, 1997, and officially opened to the public on October 20, 1997.
The Women in Military Service for America Memorial serves as a gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. The Visitors Center is located here and is a resource for maps and guidebooks. The memorial has indoor exhibits that showcase the roles women have played in America's military history. There are film presentations, a 196-seat theater, and a Hall of Honor which provides recognition to women who died in service, were prisoners of war or were recipients of awards for service and bravery.
The Women in Military Service for America Memorial is located at the end of Memorial Drive directly across Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is easily accessible from the Arlington Cemetery Metro stop.
President Ronald Reagan signed legislation authorizing the Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C., into law on Nov. 6, 1986. The Memorial is at the historic grand entrance and hemicycle at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. It stands in lasting recognition of all women who have served, are serving and will serve in our nation's defense.
The Register
The individual stories of servicewomen past and present are contained in the Register which is appropriately located along the historic axis of the Mall. This historic line is visible outside the Memorial with grey cobblestones running East and West along Memorial Drive. Inside the Education Center, this historic axis is visible in polished black granite from behind the Great Niche through the Register Room.
Quotations
Quotations etched into an arch of glass tablets represents a collective journal of women's voices. The journal's pages are spread open on the upper terrace. Like a floating horizon above the space below, the women's voices are etched in glass. The tablets are inscribed with quotations by and about women who served--a story for everyone to read.
History
An estimated 6,000 witnessed the Memorial's groundbreaking ceremonies on June 22, 1995. Construction began in March 1996. The Memorial was dedicated on Oct. 18, 1997 by Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore; distinguished guests; retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught and President of the WIMSA Memorial Foundation; and thousands of active-duty servicewomen, women veterans and their families and friends.