Families kept lining up at a military monument on the National Mall, so it stayed for Veterans Day

Visitors to the Lincoln Memorial this summer and fall were greeted by a new addition: the National Military Monument, built by USAA to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary. The 18-foot-tall, 50-foot-wide digital displays feature the names of over 41 million military service members, scrolling through eras starting with George Washington's name and ending with the Unknown Soldier.

USAA, a military-focused insurance and banking company, built the monument to honor all those who served since the Revolutionary War, including veterans, those killed in war, and active-duty military personnel. The monument initially had a less than a month-long lifespan, but families kept coming to pay their respects, leading USAA to seek an extension.

It took several months of planning, research, and construction to compile the names, and visitors can use interactive kiosks to search for relatives or themselves in the database. Some families traveled from as far as Puerto Rico to visit the monument, and one grandfather even found his grandson's name on the display. The monument stands on public parkland and will remain free to visit through Veterans Day on November 11, with the online database staying searchable even after the installation closes.