WASHINGTON — A new digital monument honoring more than 41 million Americans who served in uniform opened Monday on the Lincoln Memorial Plaza, transforming military service records into a searchable database that displays names across two towering American flags within seconds.
The National Military Monument, sponsored by USAA and unveiled as part of the nationwide America250 celebration, stands between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Visitors pull out their smartphones, scan a QR code at one of several kiosks, and receive a six-digit code that summons a loved one's name onto the digital display. Each side cycles through roughly 1,500 names every 45 seconds, or about 480,000 names every hour.
Built From Military Records
The installation draws from military records, public databases, veterans organizations and voluntary submissions spanning from the Revolutionary War through today. Because no single government archive contains every American who has served, organizers said the project will continue growing as veterans and families verify military service and submit names not yet represented. Some currently serving military members and veterans may not appear because of privacy protections or gaps in historical records.
Fox News Digital received an exclusive preview ahead of the public opening. Families gathered around kiosks searching for relatives. Veterans waited quietly as names appeared overhead. At one point, George Washington's name stretched across the display, a visual reminder that the monument traces military service from Lexington and Concord to Afghanistan and beyond.
Navy veteran and USAA Creative Director John Guzman searched for his grandfather, Walter Allen, who served during World War II. "There he is," Guzman said as his grandfather's name appeared across the monument. "Even though I knew I was going to find him, it's still heavy to see it come up in all of the best ways." He added, "This is one of the role models I had growing up from a very, very young child. And even though he's not with us now, the whole family would be incredibly proud to see him here."
Personal Connection to Service
Tim and Tenika Eardley traveled from Wyoming expecting to see Washington's historic landmarks, not the newest one. The couple searched for a family member currently serving in the National Guard. "My uncle and her brother—we looked him up on there," their son, Warren Eardley, said. "That was really neat just to be able to see him on there."
Tenika said, "It feels really meaningful to be able to know that I can look up any relative or friend or anything like that and be able find them and honor them." She added, "It feels like such a personalized experience that we really can see those people that we know and love honored right here in D.C."
Bob Labrutta, a retired Air Force major general who now serves as USAA's vice president of survivorship, said that reaction is exactly what organizers hoped visitors would experience. After nearly four decades in uniform, Labrutta said he thought he understood what the monument represented until he searched for members of his own family. "I've got two brothers that served," he said. "But when I brought my dad's name up on the side of the wall and I saw him commemorated... I had tears in my eyes and my heart filled with pure joy and pride. Pride in this country. Pride in USAA for doing this."
Beyond Military Families
Labrutta said the installation was intentionally designed to honor not only decorated military leaders but the millions of Americans whose service often goes unrecognized. "I wouldn't say our soldiers are ordinary," he said. "Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guard members, our Guardians—none of them are ordinary." He said, "When they raise their right hand, they say not only, 'Send me,' but 'I'm willing to give up my life for this great country.' That makes them extraordinary."
While the monument was created during the nation's semiquincentennial celebration, Labrutta said its purpose extends beyond America's 250th birthday. "It doesn't just apply to military families," he said. "It applies to all American citizens." He added, "We wouldn't have had an Independence Day if we wouldn't have had citizens that raised their hand and said, 'You know what? This is worth fighting for.'"
Generation after generation, he said, Americans have protected the freedoms the country enjoys today. "This is not only for our veterans and for their families," Labrutta said. "This is for all Americans to embrace and to honor."
Why This Matters:
The monument represents a privately sponsored effort to preserve military heritage without expanding federal bureaucracy. USAA's investment in the installation demonstrates how corporate partnerships can honor national service while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The searchable database addresses a genuine gap in government record-keeping by aggregating fragmented military archives into a single accessible resource. For families separated by time and distance from their military ancestors, the monument provides tangible connection to sacrifice that secured American freedoms. The installation's placement on the National Mall during the America250 celebration reinforces the foundational role military service has played in sustaining the republic across 250 years. By honoring ordinary service members alongside decorated leaders, the monument affirms that national defense depends on millions of individual commitments rather than government programs alone.