Staff Reports
President Donald Trump recently signed S.858, the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, clearing the last congressional hurdle that lets a National Medal of Honor Monument be placed in the Reserve of the National Mall. The signing happened during a ceremony at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington where Medal of Honor recipients were honored. This move makes it possible to put a permanent, prominent tribute to our nation’s bravest right near the Lincoln Memorial.
What the law actually does
S.858 does one simple but powerful thing: it authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to site a commemorative monument within the Reserve, the Mall’s central cross‑axis. It does not build the monument for you. The foundation — led by Chris Cassidy with Charlotte Jones Anderson on the board — must raise the money and hire the designers. The Congressional Budget Office makes that clear: the bill changes location rules and carries essentially no federal spending. No federal construction dollars will be used.
Why placing the monument in the Reserve matters
Putting a monument in the Reserve is more than a real estate decision. The Mall’s Reserve is the most sacred visual axis in Washington, shaped by law and decades of design choices under the Commemorative Works Act. Letting a new work into that lineup sets a precedent. Preservationists and planners will wring their hands, and they have a point about protecting sight lines and history. But here’s the counter: Medal of Honor recipients are the rarest of the rare. They earned a place of honor that matches their sacrifice, and the Reserve is where that honor is seen by millions.
Next steps: site selection, fundraising, and transparency
Authorization is only the start. The National Park Service and planning bodies still must pick the exact site inside the Reserve and sign off on design and compliance. Expect a lot of careful bureaucratic to‑and‑fro — that’s the process. The practical question now is fundraising. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation says it will pay for construction; donors and backers should be named and accountable. Senator Jim Justice and other supporters pushed the bill through. If Speaker Mike Johnson and others attended the signing, they should also press for clear timelines and public answers so this project doesn’t turn into another stalled idea on the Mall.
At the end of the day, this is about memory and gratitude. The country owes its bravest a visible, permanent place of honor. If critics want to debate the rules of the Reserve, fine — have the debate. But don’t hide behind process to avoid giving heroes their due. Now that President Donald Trump has signed the law, it’s time for the foundation to get to work, be transparent about funding, and deliver a monument that matches the valor it commemorates. America can do that. We should make sure it does.
