The Virginia War Memorial is a place of remembrance, reverence and education, and, despite its imposing presence on a hill above the James River near Belle Isle, it’s one of Richmond’s best-kept secrets.
Dedicated in 1956, the memorial’s original Shrine of Memory for the 20th Century features the namesake statue Memory, watching over an eternal flame. Surrounding the sculpture, the structure’s stone and glass walls are etched with the names of nearly 12,000 fallen Virginia soldiers who fought and died in World War II and the Korea, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.
Over the years, the memorial has grown in size — from 2,000 to 50,000 square feet — and scope. “One of the best ideas Virginia ever had was to add a museum and education center to make it a living memorial,” says the memorial’s director, Clay Mountcastle.
Opened in 2010, the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center is named for retired U.S. Navy Commander Paul Edward Galanti, a prisoner of war from 1966 to 1973, and his late wife, Phyllis Eason Galanti, who fought to bring attention to the plight of POWs in Southeast Asia. The center includes exhibits, classroom space and a movie theater, all dedicated to educating the public about the state’s military history. Just outside sits the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater, also opened in 2010, which hosts Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, an annual Patriot Day observance and other events.
In early 2020, the memorial introduced the C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion, home to a new Shrine of Memory listing the names of 175 Virginians who have died in the global war on terrorism. Inside, the pavilion includes a large lecture hall, a Virginia Medal of Honor Gallery and the Veterans’ Changing Art Gallery, which serves as a gathering space and showcase of artwork from Virginia veterans.
“This pavilion has enabled us to host larger events with up to 300 attendees,” Mountcastle says. “We also had an underground parking facility built to allow for large groups.”
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Shrine of Memory: The names of the nearly 12,000 Virginians killed in action from World War II through today are carved in stone and glass on the walls of the Shrine of Memory. At the southern end of the Shrine for the 20th Century is the statue of Memory. Designed by Leo Friedlander and sculpted by Joseph Campo and William Kapp, the statue is carved from 100,000 pounds of white marble and stands 23 feet tall. Memory is meant to reflect both the great sorrow and pride felt by Virginians for their fallen family, friends and neighbors.
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Medal of Honor Gallery: Of the more than 25 million men and women who have served and sacrificed in our nation’s wars, fewer than 3,600 have received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest and most prestigious military honor for valor. The Virginia War Memorial’s Medal of Honor Gallery is the only place in the commonwealth where you can learn the history of the 50 Virginia recipients. Each plaque bears the recipient’s full name, hometown, military unit, a description of the recognized action and the full text of the citation. Touch screens aid research and offer additional information about the individuals and the events related to their service.
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Arms of the Nation: The Arms of the Nation Exhibition Hall houses large-scale displays of all United States military conflicts that involved Virginians from 1775 through today. The collection mainly comprises martial arms and military artifacts from retired CIA agent Howard P. Hart’s donated personal collection. As the Virginia War Memorial’s collection of artifacts and archival materials has expanded, the displays have been continually enhanced with personal items that tell the stories of history.
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50 Years Beyond: With the opening of the C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion, the Virginia War Memorial created space for changing and traveling displays. The “50 Years Beyond” exhibition, honoring Virginians who served in the Vietnam War, opened in January. Professional photographer Laura Hatcher, U.S. Navy (Ret.), and videographer Pamela Vines, U.S. Army (Ret.), joined memorial staffers to photograph and document the experiences of Virginia’s Vietnam veterans over the past 50 years. Their photographs and footage create a comprehensive experience for visitors and are shared alongside candid photos of 50 of Virginia’s veterans during their time in Vietnam. The exhibit is on view through 2023.
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Personal Artifacts: In addition to large-scale exhibitions, the memorial offers a collection of miniature figures and displays, such as this rendering of the Battle of the Bulge. Housed in Undercroft Hall, these miniatures provide an in-depth examination of battle scenes throughout history. Undercroft Hall is also home to rotating displays of military uniforms and apparel, an exhibit on women in military service, a piece of the Pentagon from the September 11, 2001, attack and Reynolds Theatre, where guests can view 26 award-winning documentary films about Virginians and their experiences during war. The film on the Battle of the Bulge, with personal accounts, accompanies the miniature display.
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Expanding the Memorial: The Shrine of Memory for the Global War on Terrorism and Beyond opened to the public on February 28, 2020, as part of a 28,000-square-foot expansion project. The new memorial wall lists the Virginians killed during the war on terrorism, the 1983 Beirut attacks, Grenada and the USS Cole Bombing. Some of the stone paving blocks in the floor of the Shrine are embedded with sand particles, flag fragments and glass slivers from world conflicts. The building also houses the Virginia Medal of Honor Gallery and the Veterans Art Gallery. The Virginia War Memorial buildings surround the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater, built in 2010 and named in memory of a WWII veteran. The 250-person structure hosts large public events, including the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, concerts and more.
In addition to honoring Virginia’s veterans, the memorial captures their stories through art, exhibits and interviews to share with residents and, especially, students. The expansions allowed the memorial to produce “Virginians at War,” a series of short documentary films that visitors can view on-site or online. The films are also provided to school districts throughout the state, and the organization has a catalog of curriculum suggestions and professional development opportunities for teachers. Monthly livestream events are posted to the memorial’s website.
A forthcoming documentary, “One Week in October,” will focus on the 1983 bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon and the invasion of Grenada. The film will be produced and broadcast by PBS and will appear in the memorial’s theater and online.
The memorial is also the largest repository of Virginia veterans’ oral histories in the commonwealth, with more than 1,300 hours of recordings. Some of them feature in the current exhibit, “50 Years Beyond: The Vietnam Veteran Experience,” which opened in January and will remain up for a year. It offers then-and-now portraits, the written stories of 50 Vietnam veterans from across the state and video excerpts of each veteran telling their story. “Many of the stories were quite emotional for the families when they saw the exhibit,” Mountcastle says. “In many ways it meant more for the families than the veterans themselves. The reception has been fantastic.”
The exhibit encompasses men and women from different branches of the military, different parts of the state and different backgrounds. “We sent out press releases and posted on social media, asking Vietnam vets to send photos of themselves while serving in Vietnam. We got over 1,000 responses. It was more than I could have hoped for,” Mountcastle says. “The hard part was picking 50 vets from that large number of submissions.”
Outdoors, the memorial’s 5-acre grounds are the subject of a public green space project by the Virginia War Memorial Foundation, a public-private partnership. “We want to create a better space where people can reflect and spend time at the shrine,” says Pam Seay, president of the foundation.
The project, which will begin this fall and proceed in phases for two years, will include adding Virginia native and favorite plants, Seay says, as well as outdoor signage. “We also want to have ‘Taps’ played every day at sunset from the shrine,” Seay says. “One of the things we have in place is a Veteran’s Honor rose, specially cultivated for places like ours. It’s a wonderful project.”
Ours is the only state with a living memorial like the Virginia War Memorial. “Some have monuments, and some have museums, but none have the active programming we have or the education and outreach that we do,” Mountcastle says. “When people arrive here, they are surprised to see what we have to offer. There’s so much to see and do.”
