Memorial to Dwight 'Ike' Eisenhower, President and Military Commander, Opens
2020-09-19
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1The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is now open to the public following a dedication service Thursday in Washington, D.C.
2A combination of structures and statues honors America's top World War II general and former president.
3The newest memorial in the nation's capital was more than 20 years in creation, from Congressional approval to dedication.
4The opening ceremony had been planned for May to mark the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Germany in World War II.
5But the coronavirus health crisis forced organizers to postpone the event until September 17.
6The U.S. Marine Band, also known as The President's Own, started the celebration.
7Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas heads the commission that led the building project.
8At the ceremony, he thanked the long list of supporters for the memorial, including the Eisenhower family.
9Then he introduced a special guest speaker from very, very far away.
10"Good evening, Senator Roberts and honored guests. I'm NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, commander of the International Space Station, orbiting 260 miles above Earth. Along with our NASA administrator, I'm honored to join you in celebrating the memorial dedication of our nation's 34th President - Dwight D. Eisenhower "
11To most Americans, Eisenhower was known simply by his nickname "Ike."
12Eisenhower was born in Texas in 1890 but he grew up in Abilene, Kansas.
13After high school, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and became an officer in the U.S. Army.
14In World War II, Eisenhower received increasingly important positions.
15He led the Allied invasions of North Africa, then Italy, then finally Normandy, France as a five star general and Supreme Allied Commander.
16After the war, Eisenhower showed interest in running for president.
17He chose Richard Nixon as his running mate and the two were elected in 1952.
18Gaining the presidency was among the pivotal moments recognized by the memorial's commission as central to Eisenhower's life and legacy.
19He took office while the country was involved in a war on the Korean Peninsula.
20In addition, the United States increasingly faced competition from the former Soviet Union, which sought to expand its economic and military influence in Europe and Asia.
21The general-then-president would face an unusually wide set of issues at home and abroad during his two terms, which continue to define and trouble America.
22One of Eisenhower's first tasks was to end the conflict in Korea.
23In that war, North Korea, with ally China and support from the Soviet Union, fought against South Korea and United Nations troops from several countries led by the United States.
24On July 27, the United States signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, bringing fighting to an end.
25The peace deal marked the end of a "hot" war in what would change into a "cold war" with the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.).
26The Cold War was a period of intense competition between the Communist U.S.S.R. and its allies and the democratic capitalist West, led by the U.S.
27Another issue important to Eisenhower's presidency was civil rights.
28He appointed Earl Warren, who was the Supreme Court chief justice who gave the Brown v.Board of Education ruling that desegregated public schools.
29Eisenhower ordered federal troops to enforce U.S. law to integrate the Central High School of Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.
30During Eisenhower's term, activist Rosa Parks pushed for integration of busing in Alabama.
31And Martin Luther King, Jr. began to lead peaceful protests in the American South.
32Eisenhower's efforts to push space exploration form a third part of his legacy.
33The Soviet Union was first to launch a satellite into orbit in 1957.
34However, Eisenhower created the U.S. space agency NASA and supported science education as an answer to "the space race."
35By 1959, NASA had introduced seven astronauts and the American space program was fully established.
36And during his time in office, "Ike" was and largely remains one of America's most popular and well-liked presidents.
37The long road to completion of the memorial was partly caused by disagreements between Eisenhower's family and memorial designer Frank Gehry.
38The family did not accept Gehry's first design, which had at its center a statue of Eisenhower as a shoeless boy.
39The disagreement over the design grew severe, involved Congress and legal action, and delayed progress on the project for many years.
40The cost of the project rose to about $150 million.
41The final design places importance on Eisenhower's two main roles in history: his leadership of the D-Day invasion of Normandy and his time as president.
42A statue of a young "Ike" remains. Behind is a wide metal structure, which memorializes the beaches of Normandy - where D-Day took place.
43At the ceremony, Gehry spoke in video message.
44He praised the debate over the memorial design.
45"There were sensitivities, for sure, expressed by many - including the Eisenhower family. We listened to all and the result is better."
46Susan Eisenhower is one of the president's granddaughters.
47She told the New York Times that the whole family was happy with the result after the trials of the earlier disagreement.
48She said, "For me, personally, this memorial is also going to be a symbol of how open and honest dialogue finally produced a better result."
49She also offered an observation.
50She said the memorial to her grandfather spoke to current events in the country.
51"What a timely figure right now," she said.
52Eisenhower noted that the "calming steadiness that he represented is something that is also worth reflecting on and reminding ourselves of."
53"Just because the 1950s look like a quiet time, it just didn't just happen that way. That was his underlying commitment, to keep this country united," she said.
54The memorial rests on land next to the Department of Education, across Independence Avenue from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and beside the Voice of America.
55I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
56And I'm Caty Weaver.
1The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial is now open to the public following a dedication service Thursday in Washington, D.C. 2A combination of structures and statues honors America's top World War II general and former president. 3The newest memorial in the nation's capital was more than 20 years in creation, from Congressional approval to dedication. The opening ceremony had been planned for May to mark the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Germany in World War II. But the coronavirus health crisis forced organizers to postpone the event until September 17. 4The U.S. Marine Band, also known as The President's Own, started the celebration. 5Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas heads the commission that led the building project. At the ceremony, he thanked the long list of supporters for the memorial, including the Eisenhower family. 6Then he introduced a special guest speaker from very, very far away. 7"Good evening, Senator Roberts and honored guests. I'm NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, commander of the International Space Station, orbiting 260 miles above Earth. Along with our NASA administrator, I'm honored to join you in celebrating the memorial dedication of our nation's 34th President - Dwight D. Eisenhower " 8Allied commander, president from Kansas 9To most Americans, Eisenhower was known simply by his nickname "Ike." 10Eisenhower was born in Texas in 1890 but he grew up in Abilene, Kansas. After high school, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and became an officer in the U.S. Army. 11In World War II, Eisenhower received increasingly important positions. He led the Allied invasions of North Africa, then Italy, then finally Normandy, France as a five star general and Supreme Allied Commander. 12After the war, Eisenhower showed interest in running for president. He chose Richard Nixon as his running mate and the two were elected in 1952. 13Gaining the presidency was among the pivotal moments recognized by the memorial's commission as central to Eisenhower's life and legacy. He took office while the country was involved in a war on the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the United States increasingly faced competition from the former Soviet Union, which sought to expand its economic and military influence in Europe and Asia. 14The general-then-president would face an unusually wide set of issues at home and abroad during his two terms, which continue to define and trouble America. 15Making peace 16One of Eisenhower's first tasks was to end the conflict in Korea. In that war, North Korea, with ally China and support from the Soviet Union, fought against South Korea and United Nations troops from several countries led by the United States. 17On July 27, the United States signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, bringing fighting to an end. The peace deal marked the end of a "hot" war in what would change into a "cold war" with the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The Cold War was a period of intense competition between the Communist U.S.S.R. and its allies and the democratic capitalist West, led by the U.S. 18Troops sent to Arkansas 19Another issue important to Eisenhower's presidency was civil rights. He appointed Earl Warren, who was the Supreme Court chief justice who gave the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that desegregated public schools. 20Eisenhower ordered federal troops to enforce U.S. law to integrate the Central High School of Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. During Eisenhower's term, activist Rosa Parks pushed for integration of busing in Alabama. And Martin Luther King, Jr. began to lead peaceful protests in the American South. 21Eisenhower's efforts to push space exploration form a third part of his legacy. The Soviet Union was first to launch a satellite into orbit in 1957. However, Eisenhower created the U.S. space agency NASA and supported science education as an answer to "the space race." By 1959, NASA had introduced seven astronauts and the American space program was fully established. 22And during his time in office, "Ike" was and largely remains one of America's most popular and well-liked presidents. 23Dispute over the design 24The long road to completion of the memorial was partly caused by disagreements between Eisenhower's family and memorial designer Frank Gehry. The family did not accept Gehry's first design, which had at its center a statue of Eisenhower as a shoeless boy. 25The disagreement over the design grew severe, involved Congress and legal action, and delayed progress on the project for many years. The cost of the project rose to about $150 million. 26The final design places importance on Eisenhower's two main roles in history: his leadership of the D-Day invasion of Normandy and his time as president. A statue of a young "Ike" remains. Behind is a wide metal structure, which memorializes the beaches of Normandy - where D-Day took place. 27At the ceremony, Gehry spoke in video message. He praised the debate over the memorial design. 28"There were sensitivities, for sure, expressed by many - including the Eisenhower family. We listened to all and the result is better." 29Susan Eisenhower is one of the president's granddaughters. She told the New York Times that the whole family was happy with the result after the trials of the earlier disagreement. She said, "For me, personally, this memorial is also going to be a symbol of how open and honest dialogue finally produced a better result." 30She also offered an observation. She said the memorial to her grandfather spoke to current events in the country. "What a timely figure right now," she said. 31Eisenhower noted that the "calming steadiness that he represented is something that is also worth reflecting on and reminding ourselves of." 32"Just because the 1950s look like a quiet time, it just didn't just happen that way. That was his underlying commitment, to keep this country united," she said. 33The memorial rests on land next to the Department of Education, across Independence Avenue from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and beside the Voice of America. 34I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 35And I'm Caty Weaver. 36Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 37_________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39tribute -n. something done to honor or show respect for a person 40legacy -n. something that is left behind by someone who dies, something left for people in the future 41integrate -v. to bring together races or different people 42symbol -n. a sign, action or object that stands for an idea or quality 43dialogue -n. a discussion or talks aimed at ending a disagreement 44figure -n. a person who is well-known and who is considered to have certain qualities 45We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.