The GWOT Memorial Must be Purpose-Built to Evolve
Originally published in The Military Times on October 23, 2025.
Two weeks ago, the end of the war on terror — the war I fought in — drew one step closer when the Senate approved an amendment withdrawing the 2002 authorization for the use of military force that approved American military action in Iraq.
The United States recently entered the final stages of planning a memorial to it, to be placed next to the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials. While laudable, if the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial is to have lasting meaning, it cannot be built as a static shrine.
The war on terror is unlike any conflict our country has attempted to memorialize nationally. It has a clear beginning, but its end is debatable. There is no universally shared narrative of victory or defeat. For most Americans, the war on terror is less a war and more an era. Its reach extends from the battlefields of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to the policies that transformed airports, policing, surveillance and daily life. It reshaped how Americans understand security, service and citizenship.