 | This article contains promotional content. (August 2019) |
| America's Response Monument | |
|---|---|
| 'De Oppresso Liber', Horse Soldier Statue | |
 America's Response Monument | |
| Artist | Douwe Blumberg |
| Year | 2011 |
| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Dimensions | 490 cm × 210 cm × 400 cm (16 ft × 7 ft × 13 ft) |
| Weight | 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg)[1] |
| Location | Liberty Park, World Trade Center, New York City |
| 40°42′37.4826″N 74°0′50.6982″W / 40.710411833°N 74.014082833°W | |
America's Response Monument, subtitled De Oppresso Liber, is a life-and-a-half scale bronze statue in Liberty Park overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Unofficially known as the Horse Soldier Statue, it is the first publicly accessible monument[2] dedicated to the United States Army Special Forces. It was also the first monument near Ground Zero to recognize heroes of the September 11 terrorist attacks.[3]
The statue was conceived by sculptor Douwe Blumberg and first sold in 2003 as a small-scale, 18 inches (460 mm) version. In April 2011, an anonymous group of Wall Street bankers who lost friends in the 9/11 attacks commissioned a large, 16 feet (4.9 m) tall version. It was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011, in a ceremony led by Vice President Joe Biden and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, commander of Task Force Dagger and U.S. Army Special Operations Command during Operation Enduring Freedom.[4]
The statue commemorates the service members of America's Special Operations forces and their response to 9/11, including those who fought during the first stages of the Afghanistan war. This operation led to the initial defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, although the Taliban would ultimately regain power following their 20-year-long war with the United States.[5]
- ^ Doss, Erika (4 April 2013). "De Oppresso Liber and Reflecting Absence: Ground Zero Memorials and the War on Terror". American Quarterly. 65: 203–214. doi:10.1353/aq.2013.0004. S2CID 144556589. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Forester, Thad (October 11, 2013). My Brother in Arms: The Exceptional Life of Mark Andrew Forester, United States Air Force Combat Controller. Cross-D Enterprises. p. 311. ISBN 978-0984603534. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Commando monument near ground zero unveiled on Veterans Day". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2017-03-29.
- ^ "Lieutenant General John Mulholland Jr". ShadowSpear Special Operations. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Horsetalk.co.nz (2011-11-28). ""Horse Soldier" statue stands proud near Ground Zero - News". Horsetalk.co.nz. Retrieved 2022-08-26.