Part of the historic Washington D.C. skyline is under threat by President Donald Trump, according to three veterans and an architectural historian in a new lawsuit filed against the administration.
The suit was filed on Feb. 12 in an effort to block Trump’s plan to construct a giant arch at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery, potentially obstructing what they describe as a historically significant view.
“President Trump’s plan to erect a monument in Memorial Circle without the approval of Congress is flatly unlawful,” Wendy Liu, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel on the case, in a statement released to Military.com. “We are calling on the court to block this unlawful project.”
The White House plan calls for installing the 250-foot Independence Arch to commemorate America’s 250th birthday this summer. It would overlook the Potomac River between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
Military.com reached out to the White House for comment, asking for a general response to the lawsuit and claims that the construction project would be illegal without the necessary approvals and authorizations.
Arch is 'Visual Affront' for Veterans
The lawsuit claims that with the erection of the arch, Arlington House will no longer be visible from the Lincoln Memorial— and the view of the Lincoln Memorial from Arlington House will be obscured.
The plaintiffs, represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group, are three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian. Among them is Michael Lemmon, a Vietnam War veteran of the U.S. Army and a former United States Ambassador to Armenia.
Lemmon and the other plaintiffs claim in their suit that the sightline between Memorial Circle and Arlington National Cemetery was carefully designed to symbolize the unification of the country after the Civil War as a united nation.
The lawsuit requests a judge to prohibit construction on the project, arguing the president has not sought the necessary approval from Congress or independent government agencies.
I strongly believe that ours is a Nation ruled by the people, through their democratically elected representatives, and that no elected official, however powerful, is above the law. To me, the President’s planned arch will be a continuous visual affront to this principle and a personal affront to people, like me, who have fought for this Nation and devoted their careers to serving it. - Michael Lemmon in a statement obtained by Military.com.
According to the lawsuit, the administration has not complied with laws that detail required steps and authorizations for constructing monuments in Washington, D.C. Furthermore, Congress has not authorized construction of the arch on the Circle.
Jon Gundersen, another plaintiff and a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in the Vietnam War, said in a statement obtained by Military.com that “this sacred site and this historic view should not be desecrated by the planned Arch.”
I have often visited the Arlington National Cemetery, with its inspiring view of the Lincoln and Washington monuments, and which honors those who paid the ultimate price for their country, including some of my comrades from the Vietnam War.
Shaun Byrnes is the third plaintiff in the case. He’s a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam and then spent 30 years in the Foreign Service in Russia, Ukraine, and in Kosovo as head of the U.S. Diplomatic Observer Mission.
“I was stunned by the unexpected announcement that the administration planned to build a huge monument on the hallowed ground below Arlington National Cemetery that will break the visual link between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial that symbolizes the rebirth of our nation after the bloody Civil War without requesting and receiving authorization from Congress, a statutory requirement,” Byrnes said in a statement provided to Military.com.
I deeply feel a duty to my fellow veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their sacrifice and to protect their memory from being overshadowed by this vainglorious monumental arch.
Calder Loth, a retired senior architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, is the non-veteran plaintiff in the case.
“It would be no exaggeration to say that Arlington National Cemetery is the most hallowed site in America,” Loth in a statement provided to Military.com. “I am deeply concerned about the impact that a massive 250-foot arch will have on the views from the cemetery of our capital city, as well as on the historic views of Arlington House and the cemetery itself from Memorial Bridge—views that have been enthralling for millions of visitors.”
The Trump administration drew a similar lawsuit in December, seeking to block the president’s plan to construct a new $400 million ballroom on land previously occupied by the White House’s East Wing before its October demolition.
