America's Response Monument
| Company type | Monument |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public art, Military memorial |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Douwe Blumberg |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Bronze statue |
America's Response Monument, bearing the subtitle De Oppresso Liber, is a bronze statue at one-and-a-half times life size, situated in Liberty Park with a view over the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Commonly referred to as the Horse Soldier Statue, it represents the inaugural publicly accessible tribute to the United States Army Special Forces and stands as the first monument near the Ground Zero that honors the valor of those involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Created by sculptor Douwe Blumberg, the piece was originally produced in 2003 as a smaller-scale model. In April 2011, a group of anonymous Wall Street financiers who had lost acquaintances during the 9/11 events commissioned an enlarged version standing tall. The monument was officially unveiled on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011, during a ceremony presided over by Vice President Joe Biden and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, who commanded Task Force Dagger and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command throughout Operation Enduring Freedom.
This statue pays tribute to America's Special Operations personnel and their swift response following 9/11, particularly those engaged in the early phases of the Afghanistan conflict. Their efforts contributed to the initial overthrow of the Taliban regime, although the group later reasserted control amid the prolonged 20-year war and subsequent U.S. military withdrawal.
Background
Sculptor and horse trainer Douwe Blumberg, who has a strong interest in military history, found inspiration for this work from a photograph displayed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during a press briefing soon after U.S. forces entered Afghanistan in 2001.
In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, President George W. Bush deployed clandestine units to aid the Northern Alliance in toppling the Taliban. Task Force Dagger, a joint Special Operations contingent, consisted of Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group, aviators from the 160th SOAR ("Nightstalkers"), and members of the Air Force Combat Controllers.
Flight into Afghanistan
The twelve-member team from Operational Detachment Alpha 595 (ODA 595), accompanied by two Air Force combat controllers, formed the second insertion unit of Task Force Dagger into Afghanistan. Departing from Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan, they traversed over 300 kilometers across the 16,000-foot Hindu Kush mountains under zero visibility conditions aboard an MH-47E Chinook helicopter. Their landing occurred at approximately 02:00 on October 19, 2001, on farmland roughly 80 kilometers south of Mazar-i-Sharif, within the Dari-a-Souf Valley. Arriving just 39 days following the attacks on the World Trade Center, this team expected to remain deployed for about one year. They established contact with Northern Alliance forces under General Dostum.
Horseback transport
Upon reaching Northern Afghanistan, the team needed a mode of transportation capable of navigating the region's rugged mountains. Local Afghan tribes supplied small horses, which were the sole available means. Since only two members possessed horseback riding skills, Capt. Mark Nutsch, who had grown up riding horses, provided brief instruction. Capt. Will Summers described the scenario as a blend of "The Jetsons" encountering "The Flintstones." The riders soon requested alternatives to the traditional small, rigid wooden saddles used by Afghan troops; consequently, lightweight Australian-style saddles were airdropped in mid-November. It is noteworthy that the U.S. Army's last mounted combat unit was the 26th Cavalry Regiment, which remained active until 1942.
Initial offensive against the Taliban
On October 21, General Dostum’s Northern Alliance prepared to launch an assault on Bishqab, a Taliban stronghold fortified with T-54/55 tanks, BMP armored personnel carriers, and ZSU-23 anti-aircraft guns. The Alliance deployed approximately 3,000 fighters—split evenly between cavalry and light infantry—backed by a 12-person U.S. Special Forces team and American air support. They traversed an exposed mile-wide plain dotted with seven ridges under intense enemy fire but managed to compel many Taliban forces to retreat through precision-guided munitions and air strikes.
The next day, their focus shifted to Cōbaki in Balkh Province, located 121 kilometers south of Mazar-i-Sharif. U.S. Special Operations utilized SOFLAM laser designators to direct air strikes against enemy armor and artillery positions. When Dostum's cavalry charge weakened, members of ODA 595 mounted horses to intervene and secure victory. Lt. Col. Max Bowers compared the battle’s ferocity to dramatic scenes reminiscent of Old Testament epics.
Soldier photograph
During a November 15, 2001 press briefing, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld displayed an image showing ODA 595 mounted on Afghan horses. Sculptor Blumberg found himself deeply captivated by the photo and felt inspired to create a sculpture.
Blumberg remarked on the striking "visual irony of a 21st-century, high-tech soldier astride a rugged Afghan mountain horse unchanged over centuries." Despite their sophisticated military equipment, these reliable Afghan horses played an essential role in the campaign’s achievements. The mounted U.S. soldiers became famously known as the "horse soldiers."
Initial concept
Motivated by this photograph, Blumberg sought to pay tribute to the American Special Operations personnel who responded following the September 11 attacks and fought during the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. At his own cost, he dedicated three months to sculpting a 1:6 scale bronze figure depicting a Green Beret atop an Afghan horse. In 2002, at a Louisville exhibition, a Vietnam-era Green Beret noticed the piece and introduced Blumberg to Lt. Col. Frank Hudson of the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell. Hudson pointed out several inaccuracies in the statue based on his operational experience.
First completed version
While at Fort Campbell, Blumberg met soldiers recently returned from Afghanistan, including Capt. Mark Nutsch, commander of ODA-595 and an experienced horseman, who assisted in evaluating the sculpture. The team emphasized details such as indigenous horse tack made from dried sinew they had brought back with them, prompting Blumberg to work closely alongside these soldiers to ensure historical and practical accuracy. Some members even visited his studio to provide detailed feedback.
Creation of the smaller edition
Blumberg dedicated an additional three months to perfecting the sculpture with meticulous attention to detail. He conveyed a deep personal dedication to paying tribute to soldiers and accurately portraying their distinctive service, intending for the piece to be installed in New York.
He produced 120 eighteen-inch replicas for public distribution and another 120 reserved for special forces personnel. On March 5, 2004, he donated one of these copies to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum at Fort Bragg, which serves as the regimental museum for the U.S. Army Special Forces. In 2003, the Foundation for US Historical Monuments was established to develop a monumental version; however, progress was halted.
Financial support from Wall Street
In March 2011, a collective of New York City Wall Street financiers, who had lost colleagues during the 9/11 attacks, reached out to Blumberg. Driven by families seeking a dedicated memorial for U.S. troops engaged in combating terrorism abroad, these private investors aimed to back the special operations community alongside all military branches. One advocate highlighted the necessity of acknowledging those who have consistently been willing to sacrifice since 9/11.
Production of the large-scale monument
Half a year later, these financiers commissioned Blumberg to craft a large-scale monument intended for display during the Veterans Day parade and eventual installation near Ground Zero, contributing $500,000 toward the initiative. The project also received backing from the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation, with no government funding involved.
Operating out of DeMossville, Kentucky, Blumberg worked closely with Crucible Foundry located in Norman, Oklahoma, experts in monumental bronze casting. He spent several weeks on-site ensuring timely completion ahead of the November 11 parade.
Monument details
The bronze statue is created at one and a half times life size and stands tall atop a granite plinth. The base is inscribed with the title "America's Response Monument," accompanied by the subtitle De Oppresso Liber, which translates from Latin as 'to liberate the oppressed', serving as the motto of the US Army Special Forces.
The sculpture portrays a male Green Beret operator wearing a boonie hat, mounted on horseback as he leads the initial invasion of Afghanistan. His right hand grips field glasses, while an M4A1 carbine equipped with picatinny rails, an ACOG, an AN/PEQ-2 laser sight, a 30-round STANAG magazine, and an attached M203 grenade launcher hangs beneath his right shoulder. A faint outline of a wedding band is visible beneath his left glove, symbolizing the hardships endured by military families through repeated deployments. Blumberg sculpted the face without relying on any particular model or photographs; it is not meant to depict any individual soldier.
The small Afghan "Lokai" horse exhibits traits characteristic of "Tersk" lineage, reflecting Eastern European ancestry introduced during Soviet times. Traditionally, Afghan combatants ride stallions into battle. The horse is shown rearing up, demonstrating its spirited nature and difficulty in control. The tack adheres authentically to Afghan tradition, including a tasseled breast collar designed to ward off flies. The statue’s foundation symbolizes the steep terrain that soldiers navigated on horseback during operations.
Steel from the World Trade Center
Throughout their operations against the Taliban, each Green Beret ODA team carried a fragment of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center as a tribute to those lost on 9/11. These steel pieces were later interred at key battle locations; for instance, Bowers selected Mazar-i-Sharif, the site where CIA officer Mike Spann became the first American casualty in Afghanistan.
Embedded within the statue's base is a segment of World Trade Center steel, serving as a powerful emblem connecting the events of 9/11 with the special operations personnel it commemorates.
Dedication
The statue made its public debut during New York City's Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2011, leading the procession along Fifth Avenue. On that same day, Vice President Joe Biden and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, commander of Special Operations Command, formally dedicated it. Ironworkers from New York City who had contributed to constructing the original World Trade Center also assisted in moving and temporarily installing the statue inside One World Financial Center, directly across from Ground Zero.
This monument represents the first public tribute accessible to all honoring U.S. special forces. Although the Special Warfare Memorial Statue at Fort Bragg, North Carolina pays homage to Green Beret efforts during Vietnam, its placement on a secured military base limits public access. The land near One World Trade Center for this monument was generously provided by a private Wall Street company.
Rededication at One World Trade Center
On October 19, 2012, General John Mulholland presided over the statue’s rededication ceremony held in front of One World Trade Center, facing Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial. The bronze figure, positioned to overlook both the World Trade Center and its occupants, was attended by members of the United States Army Special Operations Command. The project’s total expense exceeded $750,000 and was entirely supported through contributions from numerous private donors.
Relocation to Liberty Park
The statue found a permanent home on September 11, 2016, when it was rededicated within Liberty Park, an elevated green space in Lower Manhattan constructed atop the World Trade Center's Vehicular Security Center. This site offers a commanding view of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, amplifying its symbolic significance near Ground Zero.
In popular culture
In 2009, Disney secured film rights to Doug Stanton's book Horse Soldiers, with producer Jerry Bruckheimer aiming to obtain financing by December 2011. The war drama 12 Strong, directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and scripted by Ted Tally and Peter Craig, premiered on January 19, 2018. The statue makes a brief appearance in the movie’s concluding scene prior to the credits.