• DC Discounts
  • Events
  • News
  • Hottest Tickets in Town

Visit Washington, DC!

Hotel and travel tips for visiting Washington, DC

  • Home
  • Visitor Information
    • Traveling to Washington DC
    • Getting Around Washington DC
    • Parking in Washington DC
    • Guided Tours of Washington DC
    • Washington DC News, Media, and Weather
    • Shopping in Washington DC
    • Restaurants in Washington DC
  • Sightseeing
    • Monuments & Memorials
    • Museums and Galleries
    • Other Washington DC Attractions
    • Parks
    • Day Trips
    • Take the Kids
    • Annual Events
  • Hotels
    • Featured Hotels
    • Hotels Near the Mall
    • Hotel Package Deals
    • Group Accommodations
    • Washington DC Hotels
    • Virginia Hotels
    • Maryland Hotels
  • Tour Books
  • Event Tickets
    • Kennedy Center Tickets
    • Capital One Arena Tickets
    • Warner Theatre Tickets
    • Eagle Bank Arena Tickets
    • Wolf Trap Tickets
    • Royal Farms Arena Tickets
    • The Theater at MGM National Harbor
    • FedEx Field Tickets
    • Washington Capitals Tickets
    • Washington Nationals Tickets
    • Washington Redskins Tickets
    • Washington Wizards Tickets
    • DC United Tickets
    • All Washington, DC Events
  • Tour Deals
  • Top 10
You are here: Home / Washington DC Sightseeing / Washington DC Monuments & Memorials / Air Force Memorial

Air Force Memorial

At the Air Force Memorial, the sky really is the limit. But you don’t have to be a former fighter pilot to grasp the magic of flight, or the meaning of one of the newest memorials in the greater Washington, D.C. area. So make a short stop at the Air Force Memorial and ponder how much of the nation’s military might is predicated on the continuing use of air power and how prominent a role it has played in battles past.

It does not take long to visit the Air Force Memorial, but the missions of decades past come quickly to mind: the waves of attack planes from World War II, the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the ongoing battles of Iraq and Afghanistan.

As a quote from Gen. Carl A. (Toocy) Spaatz, the Air Force’s first Chief of Staff, etched on marble at the memorial, notes, “We better be prepared to dominate the skies above the surface of the earth or be prepared to be buried beneath it.”

It is a memorial simple in its design, one that can be seen from Interstate 395 heading north into Washington, D.C. in daytime or magnificently lit at night. Visit the site and stand amidst the trio of curving, obelisk-like, stainless steel spires that soar 270 feet into the sky and imagine the danger, bravery and courage of fighter pilots past, present and future. It’s a dizzying sensation to peer straight up into the sky to squint at the tops of the spires that gracefully angle out in three directions as if planes in formation were peeling off from each other in search of separate targets.

The three spires are meant to commemorate core values of the Air Force: integrity, service before self and excellence in all that is undertaken.

And nearby granite tablets note the virtues as carried through the years, from the founding of the first precursor to the Air Force, the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, formed in 1907, to the creation of the modern Air Force after World War II.

Gen. John P. Jumper, the 17th Air Force Chief of Staff, aptly espouses the Air Force credo, saying, “Service before self is that virtue within us all which elevates the human spirit, compels us to reach beyond our meager selves to attach our spirit to something bigger than we are.”

That spirit is captured with a quiet visit amidst the soaring spires at the Air Force Memorial.

Travel Tips

Stand on the plaza of the memorial and gaze eastward toward Washington, D.C. You’ll have a magnificent view of the Pentagon in near sight and the Washington Monument and the Capitol further out on the horizon. And then look upward at the tips of the three spires and imagine yourself as the pilot of a fighter jet.

For more information visit: www.airforcememorial.org

Travel Information

Air Force Memorial
One Air Force Memorial Drive
Arlington, VA 22204
703.979.0674

Hours: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. April 1 – Sept. 30 and 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Oct. 1 – March 31.

Admission: The memorial is free and open every day of the year.

Parking: Scant near the memorial, although occasionally you can find street parking along Columbia Pike.

Metrorail: Blue or Yellow Line to either the Pentagon or Pentagon City stop. It is about a half-mile walk from either Metro station to the memorial.

Nearby Attractions
Arlington National Cemetery
Pentagon

Comments

  1. Nick Bailey says

    April 6, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    I am excited to visit this on my 8th grade DC trip! I love learning about this awesome memorial! Thank you to the men and women who have served in the Air Force!

    Reply
  2. Zachary Steele says

    August 8, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    Thank you both for your service! I hope you’re able to come out and visit YOUR Memorial!

    Reply
  3. john p. curtis says

    March 23, 2013 at 10:03 am

    I spent 28 years in the U.S Air Force which was the best spent years of my life.

    Reply
    • Jerry Tremmel says

      April 22, 2013 at 9:35 pm

      I spent 26 years in the Air Force and I say Dito – it was the best 26 years of my life – I would still be in the Air Force if they let me. (and if I could fit into my uniform!!!)

      Reply
      • Nick Bailey says

        April 6, 2016 at 9:33 pm

        LOL

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Promote Your Event

Know of an event that would interest tourists in D.C.? We want to hear about it. Drop us a note and we'll help you get the word out.
Copyright 2019 Big Fish Design. All Rights Reserved. The District | Advertising Rates | Privacy Policy | Contact Us