Audio Guide

Welcome to the official audio tour for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. This tour is your guide to exploring the memorial’s design and the stories it tells. Get to know America’s 34th president, from his humble Kansas beginnings, through his victories in World War II, all the way to the White House, where he shaped a vision for America that we still pursue today. Whether you’re listening from home or on-site at the memorial, this audio tour will provide useful and informative insights into the memorial and the remarkable man whose service it celebrates.

 

• Introduction to the Memorial

  
  

  This tour welcomes you to the memorial and introduces you to its major features, themes, and stories. Learn about the memorial’s design, the significance of its location, and Eisenhower’s own vision for America.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

• Frank Gehry's Vision

  
  

  Hear from world-renowned architect Frank Gehry on the process and meaning behind his design for the memorial. In a conversation with his biographer Paul Goldberger, Gehry reflects on how the memorial came to be and what Eisenhower’s legacy means to him.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

• Dreams of a Barefoot Boy

  
  

  This tour centers on the sculpture of Eisenhower as a young man, located in the northwest corner of the memorial. How did a small-town boy from Kansas grow up to be the leader of the free world? Hear about Ike’s humble beginnings and his first steps towards greatness — and hear from Eisenhower himself on what his hometown meant to him.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

• Supreme Allied Commander

  
  

  A sculptural grouping at the heart of the memorial depicts General Eisenhower as he addresses paratroopers the night before the D-Day invasion at Normandy. How did Eisenhower go from rebellious West Point cadet to Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force? Get to know the man of grit, intelligence, and charisma and hear him speak the fateful “Order of the Day” that sent scores of soldiers, sailors, and airmen onward into Normandy—and the beginning of the end of World War II.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

• Leader of the Free World

  
  

  President Eisenhower confers with military and civilian advisors in the second sculptural grouping at the center of the memorial. How did one of America’s most famous military leaders become a champion for peace? Hear about Eisenhower’s priorities and principles as president and the institutions he established to make the nation and its people safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

• The Normandy Tapestry

  
  

  The grand backdrop to the memorial is a 450 foot-wide woven wire tapestry depicting the cliffs of Normandy in peacetime. Hear from Memorial architect Frank Gehry on how the tapestry was conceived and constructed—from a hand sketch to over 80 million individual wire welds.

  Credit / Author:

  Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

 

This audio tour has been made possible with a generous donation from the Boeing company to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission.