Sabin Howard is working non-stop on his 56.5 foot long bas-relief for the World War I Memorial. He is also documenting the process on his Instagram page.

The bas-relief’s 38 figures tell the story of “A Soldier’s Journey”: a soldier receives his helmet from his young daughter, he leaves home to join the battlefield, he loses himself in the frenzy of war, he loses brothers-in-arms to gas and bullets, he falls prey to shell-shock. Finally, a changed man, he leaves the battlefield, joins a triumphant processional home, and hands his helmet back to his daughter. The daughter gazes into the helmet, seeing what’s to come: World War II.

The bas-relief is part of the greater design concept of “Weight of Sacrifice” submitted by architect Joseph Weishaar. From the Public Law 112-272 introduced by Senator Ted Poe (R-TX) in September 2012, to the review of over 350 designs, to the selection of “Weight of Sacrifice” in 2016, to the groundbreaking in 2017, the project has been countless hours of work. The Memorial, which honors the more than 4,000,000 American men and women who served in uniform, and the 116,000 people from the United States who gave their lives, is worth the wait.