NYC Ground Zero: ‘Horse Soldiers’ statue finds final overwatch position By Zach AS 09.14.2016 #Military History Email Share Tweet 15 years ago America was attacked on our own soil.
The 16-foot tall bronze statue is entitled De Oppresso Liber, or “to liberate the oppressed”, the motto of the United States Army Special Forces. It was cast in bronze by renowned sculptor Douwe Blumberg.
He dedicated the statue in its new location in front of One World Trade Center across from Ground Zero and 9/11 Memorial. The bronze statue was positioned so the soldier atop the horse is keeping a watchful eye over the World Trade Center and its tenants.
A decade later those same words would resonate throughout the Winter Garden Hall in Two World Financial Center, near Ground Zero, as Vice President Joseph Biden, standing before the Ground Zero flag, spoke to the audience assembled for the dedication of a larger than life bronze statue depicting those same Green Berets.
“A statue of an ‘unknown soldier’ on his horse is sitting in the lobby of Two World Financial Center in Manhattan,” according to the website. “This was recreated from a picture taken of a soldier in the 5th Group Special Forces in Afghanistan after 9/11. The “unknown soldier” is Todd Nichols.
The America's Response Monument, aka Horse Soldier statue, sits in its final resting place at Liberty Park, adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. The statue serves as a reminder of the bond formed between U.S. Special Operations Forces and the New York City first responders.
The horse soldier monument is a well intended memorial to the soldiers who responded to 9/11 but I can’t help but feel that the statue seems completely out of place here. Two uniformed soldiers stand guard just across from the monument, looking bored while on mandatory duty.
Douwe Blumberg, the artist and sculptor of the De Oppresso Liber statue, and Mr. Doug Stanton, author of the book Horse Soldiers, stand in front of the 18-foot bronze statue prior to the start of the New York City Veterans Day Parade, Nov. 11th, 2011.
The horse soldier statue, which will remain covered until it is dedicated on Friday, sits in the shadow of 1 World Trade Center. Credit Michael Appleton for The New York Times Updated, 4:07 p.m. | The sculpture that stood in the middle of the World Trade Center plazawhen the center was destroyed cannot find a permanent home.
NYC Ground Zero: 'Horse Soldiers' statue finds final … Military statues designs canadian war memorial statue "Horse Soldier" statue stands proud near Ground Zero …