National Military Monument honors all who served

For the first time, there is a single place that gathers nearly every American who has ever put on the uniform, and it lets you find the one who belongs to you.

USAA’s National Military Monument opened July 28 on the Lincoln Memorial Plaza in Washington, D.C., as a temporary installation marking the country’s 250th birthday. Sponsored by the financial services company, it honors more than 41 million Americans who have served in every conflict from the Revolutionary War to the present day.

How to Find Your Service Member

If you visit Washington, DC, the monument is located on the Lincoln Memorial Plaza. Visitors can scan a QR code and search for a name. The search returns a code which a USAA staff member uses to then summon that name onto the flags, where families can watch it appear and photograph it overhead. Veterans have stood on the plaza waiting quietly for a father or grandfather to surface across the display.

The monument is temporary and will come down on August 23. There is no cost to visit. Beyond that date, the online function to find your loved one or friends who have served stays active. It can be accessed from your home or on any device through this link  https://monument250.usaa360.com/search

A monumental task

According to USAA, “No single complete list of all who have served has ever existed. The names in this monument have been assembled from multiple historical sources, many of which are incomplete, fragmented, or damaged. Those currently serving and many former service members are not shown without verified consent because their records are not yet public. Because of these complexities, USAA cannot currently remove names from the list, but we are exploring ways to enable updates in future phases of the monument.”

The online link above is easy to access and find the names of loved ones or friends who have served our country. If you don’t find who you are looking for, there is a place to add a name.