America's Response Monument
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 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.
| 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) |
| Location | Liberty Park, World Trade Center, New York City |
| 40°42′37.4826″N 74°0′50.6982″W | |
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.
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 be victorious following their 20-year-long war with the United States.