The designer unfortunately used a "trigger word".
Unfortunately, even if he'd called it the "Crater" rather than the "Crescent", we'd be photoshopping symbolic meanings into it 24/7.
FDR was right about exactly one thing ~ the best memorial is a simple block of stone ~ carve something into it ~ maybe a name, or a bunch of names ~ put it beside the road for folks to look at.
They'll impute their own meanings to it, and it'll be there an awful lot longer than just about any other kind of memorial.
True. It's a semicircle. If they called it the semicircle there wouldn't be this trouble.
Indeed, attaching a name to a design -- other than it's official title -- is foolish. Washington Monument -- George's Needle. Lincoln Memorial -- Abe's Pagoda. Jefferson Memorial -- Tom's Cup. Vietnam Veteran's Memorial -- the Boomerang. FDR memorial -- Frank's Stones.
Actually, the red crescent jumped out at me when I looked at the news article BEFORE I ever read the text. I could not have been the only one struck instantly by this oversized statement "welcoming" every airplane landing in Philly or DC?