Memorial Bridge Pylon - National Parks Gallery

Every surface on Memorial Bridge and Avenue is covered with symbols for honor and national pride. This pylon on the cemetery side of the bridge is carved with bas relief oak leaves and poppies.

During the Roman Republic recipients of the second highest military honor wore a crown of oak leaves. Today's United States military still uses oak leaves as a sign of honor. They are pinned in clusters to an award to indicate that it has been given multiple times.

Poppies became a symbol of remembrance after World War I. They covered the disturbed earth of battlefields and graves and were described in the poem "In Flanders Fields."

The "meander" beneath the wreath of oak leaves is a decorative border in keeping with the bridge's neo-classical design. It appears frequently in ancient Greek art. As a single, continuous line it symbolizes unity and infinity.