President Donald Trump unveiled plans earlier this year to build a massive 250-foot arch among the historic monuments in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
However, a group of Vietnam veterans is suing the president, believing the arch will obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 American soldiers are buried.
Over the weekend, artists’ renderings were released, revealing what the arch would look like, resembling the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, the “Independence Arch” would be about 100 feet taller and feature the inscription “One Nation Under God” in gold lettering, a Lady Liberty statue at the top, along with two 24-foot eagles.
But the veterans suing Trump, along with one historian, believe building the arch would be illegal since it was not approved by Congress, and see it more as an eyesore blocking views to monuments and the cemetery than a tribute to the country.
Jon Gunderson, who served in the Army, is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Lemmon v. Trump. He told MS NOW that he, along with several other Vietnam veterans, looked at the project open-mindedly at first.
“We want to honor veterans; we’re glad that people are thinking about it, and we looked at the project,” Gunderson said. “For one thing, it’s three times the size of the Lincoln Memorial. It’s bigger than the Statue of Liberty or the Arc de Triomphe, and it ruins the view. If you’ve ever been to Arlington Cemetery and you’ve seen the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, you see this beautiful sweep. You see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, all the iconic parts of America … all of them had been cleared by Congress. And this ‘monument’ – I use that word loosely – would not only block the view, but it’s on a traffic circle, so visitors can’t get there.”
Gunderson would rather see a structure built with Congressional approval, along with a nod from veterans.
“It’s just wrong,” he said. “Absolutely wrong.”
Something to Honor All Soldiers
Gunderson recalled that when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in the early 1980s, it was also controversial at first, but became one of D.C.’s most visited monuments. If a new monument were to be considered, Gunderson would rather see a structure that truly honors veterans.
“And why is it so important? So good? It honors the soldier,” Gunderson said. “There’s no general riding on horseback, there’s no discussion of presidents, it’s about the average soldier. And it’s not about a cause or a president; it’s about the sacrifices the average soldier made for his or her country.”
Nick Sansone, of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, serves as one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case against Trump. Sansone said Congress has played a substantial role in the layout and configuration of monuments in the nation’s capital since the U.S. began nearly 250 years ago.
“And there’s a reason for that. These monuments are meant to tell a national story with buy-in from all the relevant constituencies,” Sansone said.
Through the Commemorative Works Act, passed into law in 1986, any time a presidential administration plans to develop a monument in the heart of D.C., it must obtain approval from Congress that includes a series of reviews to ensure the monument is properly situated, that it won’t disturb existing configuration of monuments, and it’s designed in a way that has buy-in from the nation’s citizens.
“This project has not had that authorization, and unless or until Congress has approved the construction of this arch, in this specific site, it’s not authorized by law,” Sansone said.
‘Vanity Project’
Gunderson, who also served as a senior U.S. diplomat, fought against totalitarianism in Vietnam and the Cold War and sees echoes of the same approach from a president trying to push the arch project without going through the proper channels.
“It’s the idea that it’s not a single person we owe allegiance to, it’s the Constitution and it’s the other people. I’ll go back to the Vietnam Memorial because there everyone is equal. We live together; we die together. If you’re a private or a general, you’re the same under our nation, under God, whatever your face would be,” Gunderson said. “This is a vain, glorious monument to a person. No other president has done this before. Lincoln, Washington, and all of these monuments have gone through the proper process. That’s all we’re asking. Then, when we stop it, we can look at a more appropriate monument at a more appropriate place.”
Gunderson said the proposed arch may also be a flight risk since it’s on the direct path to Reagan National Airport.
“Anybody that’s been to Washington knows this is a horrendous place to build anything,” Gunderson said. “And it’s blocking our view of our most sacred monuments.”
