New Monument Law Mandates Medal of Honor Memorial Be Built in D.C.'s 'Reserve' Area

This legislation, officially the Hershel ‘Woody' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, is straightforward: it sets the specific location for a long-planned national monument honoring Medal of Honor recipients. Congress finds that since the number of living recipients is shrinking, it’s critical to honor their valor prominently, citing the late WWII hero Hershel Woody Williams as inspiration. Essentially, this bill is the real estate contract for the monument, making sure this tribute gets built in a high-profile spot.

The Location: Prime D.C. Real Estate

The core of this bill is Section 3, which dictates exactly where the monument must go. Normally, federal law (specifically Section 8908(c) of Title 40 of the U.S. Code) has rules about where new monuments can be placed, often keeping them outside the most central, protected areas of the National Mall. However, this Act explicitly overrides that rule for this specific project. It mandates that the National Medal of Honor Monument must be located within the 'Reserve,' which is the highly visible, protected zone encompassing the core of the National Mall, including the areas around the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol. Think of it as securing a spot in the most exclusive neighborhood in D.C.

Cutting the Red Tape, Keeping the Rules

While the bill cuts the red tape on location, it doesn't scrap all the rules. It specifies that all other requirements of the Commemorative Works Act (Chapter 89 of Title 40)—the laws governing how monuments are designed, funded, and approved—still apply. This means that the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, which is spearheading the effort, still has to go through the standard planning and design processes. The only difference is that they don't have to fight over whether the location is appropriate; this law settles that debate upfront, ensuring the monument will have a prominent, central spot where tourists and citizens are guaranteed to see it.

What This Means for the Public

For the average person, this legislation guarantees that the monument honoring the nation's most decorated heroes will be built in one of the most visible and accessible locations in the country. If you’ve ever visited the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument, you’ll be walking right past this new monument once it’s completed. The impact is primarily symbolic and logistical: it clears a major hurdle for the monument’s construction by locking down the site. The trade-off is procedural: by overriding the standard location rules, the law limits the options available to planners and effectively directs the National Park Service to allow construction in this specific, highly protected zone, but it ensures the project moves forward with a guaranteed high-profile location.