Below is the public testimony delivered by Sherman Neal II, deputy director of Sierra Club Military Outdoors, and Susan Boot Caolo, who spoke as a private citizen, at the National Capital Planning Commission’s November 5, 2026, hearing on final plans for President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch on National Park Service land adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. The proposal drew opposition from veterans organizations, environmental groups, and historic preservation advocates.
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Testimony from Sherman Neal II, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and director of Sierra Club's Military Outdoors Campaign
My name is Sherman Neal II. I am a United States Marine Corps veteran, attorney, and the leader of the Sierra Club Military Outdoors. I am here today to voice opposition to construction of the Triumphal Arch.
One of my principal duties as the leader of the Sierra Club Military Outdoors is ensuring that our public lands, which include Arlington National Cemetery, remain welcoming, inclusive, and equitably accessible to all veterans. I consider this duty an extension of the oath that I took to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The Arch is a direct threat to the community, the land itself, and legacies of the people who committed their lives to defending the United States.
The legacy of this monument will forever be associated with a deceitful process shrouded in corruption and grift that is antithetical to the core values of every branch of the military.
From the very beginning, President Trump, Secretary Burgum, and the Department of Interior have engaged in a deceptive campaign designed to disrupt the unity represented by Memorial Circle, in favor of injecting a divisive, unwanted, and unearned monument to a single man on public lands that belong to the people. This isn’t 1984 and we will not pretend any other pretextual reason for its construction, emplacement, and origin in vanity exists.
The corruption here is a matter of public record – when challenged with providing a valid reason for disregarding applicable environmental and historical preservation law the administration peddled “national security” as pretext – Arlington is an especially egregious place to cite fear of a non-existent threat during a time of war as a justification for disregarding the rule of law.
The grift is evident in this expedited process, which disregards the will of the people, the recommendations of the National Park Service, and subject matter experts in a race to enrich contractors at the expense of an unwilling public.
We know what fruit this Arch will bear. We need only observe how the presence of military forces in places like Washington D.C., Memphis, and Los Angeles have degraded the morale of the units engaged and sown distrust in communities impacted by military occupation.
We know that the transgressions that we permit at Arlington will manifest themselves in more evil forms elsewhere. We need only look to the unsuccessful attempts at Arlington by the DoD to erase the legacies of non-white cis-gendered males who served this country. We know that the progeny of a project designed to appease the vanity of one many will be a result in a resurgence of the racist of the legacy of the Lost Cause - the concurrent effort to restore a confederate monument glorifying slavery within the gates isn’t happening by coincidence. We must hold here and defeat the enemies both within, and outside, of the gates.
This process has clearly disregarded the overwhelming desire of the public to keep Memorial Circle preserved as a place to physically and metaphorically connect the sacrifice of servicemembers connected to the heart of the nation. The opposition in writing communicated by nearly 4,000 of our members is in alignment with the tens of thousands who have expressed vehement opposition to this project and procedure.
You each have a decision to make today that will forever be your legacy – will you listen to the voices of veterans, gold star families, and people who this land belongs to? Or will you align yourself with lost causes and glorification of a man responsible for waging wars rooted in immorality? If you have questions about the consequences of your actions you need not look any further than Arlington itself and the home of Robert E. Lee, an American who betrayed his country, now lives in infamy.
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Testimony from Susan Boot Caolo
My name is Susan Boot Caolo, and I’m speaking as a private citizen.
My father, a World War II veteran who served 28 years in the U.S. Navy, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with my mother. I go there at least twice a year. I visit my parents, and friends of veterans I’ve interviewed for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project have asked me to pay respects on their behalf to comrades buried there. Every time, I go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That place belongs to everyone, and it means a great deal to people here and from around the world.
That’s why I oppose the proposed arch. It would block the view of Arlington from across the Potomac. That approach matters. It tells every visitor they’re coming to hallowed ground.
I’m not speaking only for my family. I’m speaking for every family with a loved one laid to rest at Arlington, and for every person buried there. Their service gives that ground its meaning, and its dignity and integrity deserve protection. An arch in that line of sight would be a disservice to the solemn beauty and history of Arlington, and to the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. They deserve that honor. I urge you to protect the view and reject this proposal.
Thank you for giving me this chance to speak up for myself and others.