HERITAGE


Tells a ‘Soldier’s Journey’ 38 bronze figures come to life in unique tribute to 4.7 million Americans who fought in Europe. ::


World War I Memorial BY MARISA HERMAN W


hen visitors to Washington, D.C., stop by the massive World War I Memorial in


Pershing Park, master sculptor Sabin Howard plans to greet them with an eye-catching, epic piece that captures a hero’s journey. With a length of 58 feet and


a height of 10 feet, the nation’s forthcoming official monument, titled “A Soldier’s Journey,” is what its creator calls a “movie in bronze.” A total of 38 bronze figures have been meticulously brought to life


76 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | FEBRUARY 2024


in five distinct scenes. They were expertly fashioned from some 12,000 photographs that Howard snapped in his iPhone’s “burst mode” of human models simulating a variety of poses. He said he believes the finished


product — crafted in a traditional style but meant for the modern era — will tell a “deep story” of the “humanity of people who went to war.” “It is art that speaks to the human


potential,” Howard said. The artwork’s frieze follows a


soldier’s journey as the man leaves his family behind, joins his brothers in arms, charges into battle, sees the


horrific costs of war, and returns home, where he hands his helmet to his child. Howard said the sculptures


transition from moments of “massive kinetic energy to somber quietness” and represent the larger story that “war doesn’t only happen on the battlefield, but on the home front as well.” While the monument will serve


as a memorial for the 4.7 million Americans who served in World War I and the 116,516 who died during the war, Howard said he hopes it also represents a “healing memorial.” “It is meant to heal the psyche of


humanity,” he said. It is a project that has been in the


making for nearly a decade. In 2015, the World War I


Centennial Commission announced it would hold a design competition for a national memorial. Although the last combat veteran of the Great War had already died


©ANDREW HOLTZ


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