The Memorial Amphitheater was dedicated on May 15, 1920. While numerous wreath-laying and other memorial ceremonies are conducted throughout the country, many consider the services at Arlington's Memorial Amphitheater to be the nation's official ceremonies to honor servicemen and women.

The Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, DC. On Memorial Day, 1921, four unknown soldiers were exhumed from four American World War I cemeteries in France. Sgt. Edward F. Younger, a World War I combat veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, selected one of the caskets to represent the unknown soldiers who had fallen in battle. The chosen unknown soldier was then transported to the US aboard the USS Olympia and interred at Arlington Cemetery. The tradition has continued with other wars.

Spanning 7 ½ acres, the memorial defies FDR's request for a modest tribute; he asked that the memorial not be any larger than his desk.

Dedicated in 1997, the memorial took nearly 50 years to build. Original plans for the memorial were rejected by FDR's descendents, and the final design by architect Lawrence Halprin was approved in 1978. Ground was broken in 1991, and construction began in 1994.

Halprin uses water, stonework, landscaping and quotations to reflect the social, economic, and cultural climate of the Great Depression and World War II. The granite was selected to approximate Roosevelt's Hyde Park estate; it took 2 ½ years and 210 trips between the quarry in South Dakota and Washington, DC to transport the 6,000 tons of granite used in the memorial.

Acknowledging FDR's own physical difficulties, his memorial was the first creation of its kind designed with easy access for people with disabilities. The memorial, however, did not originally feature any renderings of the president in his wheelchair. FDR did not wish to be portrayed in his wheelchair, and designers honored this request. Many people with and without disabilities were angered by this omission, and a statue of FDR in his wheelchair was installed in 2001. The statue was placed at the entrance of the monument to remind visitors that FDR was confined to a wheelchair when he became one of the country's most revered leaders.

Throughout the memorial, Halprin uses stone and water to suggest the changing mood of the country. The first room chronicles the early years (1932-1936). A bas relief by Robert Graham shows an optimistic president in his first inaugural parade, while an inscribed quote promises a "new deal" for the American people. A peaceful fountain represents the healing effect water had on the president during his term in the Navy and while at Warm Springs.

The second room addresses the Great Depression and the hope FDR cultivated with his extensive social programs. In this room, visitors find three sculptures by George Segal. "Fireside Chat" depicts a man listening on a radio to one of the president's famous addresses. The second work, "Breadline," features five life-size statues, waiting in line for food. "The Rural Couple" represents the nation's struggling working class. The walls are covered with five bas-relief panels that represent various aspects of FDR's social programs. The smooth-flowing fountain symbolizes the dams built by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The third room represents the war years, 1940-1944 with choppy, unsettling stonework and water. Here, a seated Roosevelt is pictured with his dog, Fala, while scattered granite blocks represent the destruction associated with war. Water falls harshly and unevenly, and the granite appears ragged and rough.

In a stark contrast, the final room projects peace and optimism. A bas-relief resting above a pool of still water depicts FDR's funeral procession. Nearby, a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt-the only monumental tribute to a first lady-stands in front of the United Nations emblem, recognizing her role in the creation of that organization.

Architect John Russell Pope incorporated one of Jefferson's favorite design elements, the rotunda, into the memorial design. While derided by critics who felt the memorial should be more American in style, the classical influence reflects Jefferson's admiration of Roman politics and architecture.

More controversy surrounded the monument's placement on the Tidal Basin, which required the removal of many of the beautiful cherry trees that had been planted in 1912. Protesters chained themselves to the trees to prevent their destruction; the government responded by offering the protesters refreshments. As nature called, the chains came off, and the design prevailed.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the memorial using the same silver gavel that had been used to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Pope passed away before the construction began, and the dedication took place on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth.

Though the memorial was opened, the statue that now stands at the center was not completed until 1947. Mired in World War II, the United States could not afford to use its stores of bronze for the execution of the 19-foot statue. The original statue was created in plaster and later replaced.

On the interior walls of the memorial, four panels are inscribed with familiar quotations reflecting Jefferson's philosophies. In 1972, a professor discovered that some of the quotes displayed on the walls of the memorial were inaccurate; due to space constraints, they had been shortened and punctuation had been changed.

Jefferson stands at the center of the temple, his gaze firmly fixed on the White House, as if to keep an eye on the institution he helped to create.

After feeling slighted by the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the momentum to erect a World War II Memorial, veterans formed the Korean War Veterans Association in 1985. The site was selected and approved in 1986, but construction was delayed following a controversy over the chosen design.

Sculptor Frank Gaylord created the 19 statues of the soldiers, whose moving, weary expressions reflect the harsh circumstances of the war. The polished granite wall reflects the images of the soldiers and doubles the platoon's size to 38- a metaphor for the 38th parallel, the border between North and South Korea.

The movement to create a memorial to Lincoln began shortly after Lincoln's assassination. The Lincoln Monument Association was established by Congress in 1867, but the site for the memorial was not selected until 1901. The public was outraged by the selection of West Potomac Park-marshy land that had originally been under the Potomac River.

Architect Henry Bacon submitted his final plans for the Greek temple design that would soon become one of Washington, DC's most familiar sites in 1913. Ground was broken in 1914. The Lincoln statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts.

French opted to portray Lincoln seated, a symbol of mental and physical strength. French planned to create a ten- foot statue but found his statue dwarfed by the huge memorial and doubled its size.

Above the temple's 38 columns are the names of the 36 states that were in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death in 1865. Murals sculpted by Jules Guerin adorn the temple's inner walls. Emancipation is on the south wall and hangs above the inscription of the Gettysburg Address. Unification is on the north wall, above Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1922, by Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft. During the dedication ceremony, African Americans in attendance were made to sit in segregated seating sections. The memorial would later become the backdrop for milestones in the struggle for civil rights, such as Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and a concert by black singer Marian Anderson, who was denied the right to perform at Constitution Hall.

Twenty-four bas relief panels along the ceremonial entrance depict Americans at war at home and overseas, and 56 granite pillars represent the states, territories and District of Columbia that comprised the U.S. during the war; collectively, the pillars symbolize national unity. A field of 4,000 sculpted gold stars on a Freedom Wall honors the 400,000 Americans who gave their lives for freedom. The center of the memorial is marked by the restored Rainbow Pool. Other waterworks include semi-circular fountains at the base of the pavilions and waterfalls that flank the Freedom Wall.

Originally called Analostan Island, it was used during the Civil War to sequester African-American soldiers. The island was purchased in 1931 by the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association and was presented as a gift to the American people the following year. The centerpiece of the island, a memorial to the President, was dedicated in 1967. The memorial features a 23-foot statue of a strong, "fit-as-a-bull-moose" Roosevelt, situated in an oval terrace with two roaring fountains. The terrace is surrounded by four granite tablets inscribed with the President's philosophy on nature, manhood, youth and the state.

The Potomac cuts between the island and the Georgetown Waterfront. The Little River, a branch of the Potomac, separates it from Virginia. Rich in ecological diversity, Roosevelt Island hosts a variety of flora and fauna in its swamp, marsh, rocky shore and woodland ecosystems. Along the island's southern end, the swamp trail passes a rare tidal freshwater marsh, filled with cattails and redwing nests. Drier patches attract foxes, great owls, ground hogs, raccoons and opossums.

Roosevelt Island is an excellent example of a wilderness outpost in a thriving urban area and can be easily accessed by land or water. Two-hour parking is available off the southbound side of the George Washington Parkway. The footbridge to the island is just minutes from the Rosslyn Metro Station. For a different experience, rent a canoe or kayak the perimeter of the island.

The figures stand 32 feet tall; the canteen featured in the sculpture would hold 32 gallons of water, and the M-1 rifle is 16 feet long.

The memorial itself is a tribute to all Marines who have died in combat since the Corps' founding in 1775. The statue is mounted on a granite base that lists every major Marine Corps engagement, and a flag flies atop a 60-foot flagpole 24 hours a day by presidential proclamation.

A seven-foot tall bronze statue entitled "Lone Soldier" stands at the entrance to the U.S. Navy Memorial, representing all past, present and future Navy servicemen and women. The statue is cast in bronze mixed with artifacts from eight historic vessels.

The memorial is an amphitheater-like construction featuring a 100-foot, 108-ton granite map-the largest in the world. The map is framed by two sculpture walls with 22 bronze reliefs that honor aspects of naval service. At the time of the memorial's dedication, the fountains in the center of the memorial plaza were filled with water from each of the world's major bodies of water. The memorial also maintains a computerized list of individuals who have served in the Navy, and visitors can add their names and the names of their loved ones to this searchable registry.

The movement to erect a memorial to Vietnam Veterans was started in 1979 by Jan Scruggs, an infantry corporal. By 1980, Congress had dedicated two acres of Constitution Gardens for a tribute to the veterans of the controversial conflict. No federal funds were used in the building of the memorial, which relied on private donations.

A design contest attracted more than 1,400 proposals. The winning design was submitted by Maya Lin, a 21 year-old Yale University architecture student. Employing a simple, subtle design, Lin hoped that someday the "names would become the memorial."

The wall is composed of two wings-one of which points toward the Lincoln Memorial while the other stretches toward the Washington Monument. The wings gradually grow in height and eventually converge to form a "V." The wall blends into its natural surroundings to symbolize the healing process it was to represent. As Lin explained, "Take a knife and cut open the earth and with time the grass would heal it."

As visitors pass along the list of names, the polished, shiny granite reflects their visages, enabling veterans and civilians alike to see themselves within the sea of the war's casualties.

The design was immediately met with controversy. Some were moved by the poignant simplicity of the memorial, while others bristled at the dark, morose granite. In order to placate the dissenters, artist Frederick E. Hart was commissioned to create a sculpture to give the memorial a stronger human element. The resulting Three Servicemen statue depicts young soldiers of different races gazing at the wall with weariness, pride, and valor.

Visitors are encouraged to make rubbings of names, using graphite pencils and commemorative paper supplied by park rangers. The names are listed in chronological order from 1959 to 1975, and are listed alphabetically on each day of action. Beside each name, a symbol denotes the status of the soldier: diamonds mark those who were killed in action, crosses denote those who are missing or classified as prisoners of war. If a soldier marked with a cross were to return home, a circle would be inscribed around the cross. If the soldier were to return dead, the cross would be modified to a diamond.

Paralleling the Three Servicemen statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the memorial depicts three field-hospital nurses caring for wounded soldiers. Eight yellowwood trees surround the statue in tribute to the eight women who were killed in action during the war.

George Washington initially objected to the allocation of federal funds for a monument in his honor, but relented and approved the site selected by Pierre L'Enfant-where the western axis of the Capitol intersects with the southern axis of the White House.

After Washington's death in 1799, popular support grew for the erection of the monument, and Thomas Jefferson laid a stone in the precise spot where the monument was to be built. During Jefferson's time, however, the grounds were quite marshy, and the stone sank into the earth. Enthusiasm for the project also sank as Congress and Washington's heirs squabbled over the design.

In 1833, momentum resurged, thanks to the efforts of Washington's fellow Freemasons and George Watterson, the Librarian of Congress. The proponents formed a group called the Washington National Monument Society and asked all Americans to contribute $1 each to fund the monument. A national design competition was held in 1836, and trustees selected a design by Robert Mills, who had previously designed the monument to Washington in Baltimore. His design called for a 500-foot obelisk rising out of a 110-foot circular Greek temple that would house statues of outstanding figures in American history.

Mills' elaborate plans were met with fundraising difficulties, however, and the design was altered dramatically. The site of the monument was moved to a higher, more solid site, 350 feet east of the intended placement. Ground was finally broken on July 4, 1848. The trowel used during the groundbreaking ceremony was also used by Washington in the groundbreaking of the U.S. Capitol.

As costs for the monument construction rose, the Monument Society asked states, countries, and dignitaries to donate blocks of marble that would be installed in the interior wall. One such stone was donated by Pope Pious IX, which brought immediate controversy to the monument effort. The anti-Catholic and xenophobic Know-Nothing Party burglarized the monument construction site in 1854 and tossed the "Pope Stone" into the Potomac River.

Construction came to a halt shortly after, as funding dried up, conflicts arose within the Monument Society, and Civil War loomed. The project stood unfinished at 156 feet for 22 years. Mark Twain referred to the monument as "a factory chimney with the top broken off."

In 1876, the country celebrated its centennial with an unfinished monument to its first president. Later that year, President Ulysses S. Grant approved funds to complete the project according to Mills' modified design. By 1884, the monument had grown to 500 feet. The marble used for the remaining 48 feet had weathered to a different stage, which can still be noted.

A pyramid-shaped apex, crafted from aluminum (which was highly valuable at the time) was placed atop the obelisk. The monument was dedicated by President Chester A. Arthur, and was opened to the public on October 9, 1888.

In 1959, 50 flagpoles were installed, representing each state, encircling the perimeter of the monument.