The first 40-foot section of a 270-foot spire was set into place Feb. 10 2006. This was the first of 15 sections that make the three spires of the memorial.
The memorial, which cost more than $30 million, is the work of James Ingo Freed, who designed Washington's U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The U.S. Air Force Memorial will honor the millions of men and women in the service and its predecessor organizations, memorial spokesman Richard Baker said …The foundation was created in 1992 to promote a memorial for those who served in the Air Force and earlier organizations, including the Army Air Corps and Army Air Force. About 54,000 airmen have been killed in action, the Air Force said.
The memorial's three spires, which rise vertically and gradually curve outwards, are intended to evoke the maneuver performed by the Air Force's Thunderbird flight demonstration team called the ``bomb burst.'' (source: Bloomberg.com )
The Memorial as seen at night.
The three spires also represent the three core values of the Air Force—integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that is done—and the Air Force’s total force: active, guard and reserve.Embedded in granite beneath the three central spires is the Air Force "star," which has long been emblazoned on Air Force aircraft and serves as the rank insignia of every enlisted member of the Air Force. Other key elements of the Memorial include a Runway to Glory at the site entrance, a bronze Honor Guard statue developed by the renowned sculptor, Zenos Frudakis, two granite inscription walls located at either end of the central lawn and a Glass Contemplation Wall that honors fallen airmen. The Memorial’s surrounding spaces will be landscaped to create a memorial park and parade ground … (source: AirForceMemorial.org
Granite Inscription Wall
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