Boeing Veterans Memorial Wall
A monumental stainless steel memorial honoring Boeing’s veteran employees — designed by OTJ Architects, fabricated and installed by ShieldCo.
Arlington, VA · Exterior Memorial Wall · ~20ft × 10ft · 625+ Individual Dog Tag Plaques
What Boeing Was Looking For
Boeing’s Arlington, Virginia headquarters houses thousands of employees — among them, hundreds of military veterans who served across every branch of the United States Armed Forces. Boeing wanted to create something permanent and meaningful: a large-scale memorial wall at the entrance of its campus, visible to everyone who walked through.
The vision came through Jen Lavender Thompson of Corporate Art Advisory, LLC, who manages Boeing’s corporate art program. This couldn’t be a plaque on a wall or a name on a list. It needed to be a true work of art — monumental in scale, crafted from materials that conveyed strength and permanence, and designed so that every single veteran employee would be individually recognized by name, branch of service, and years served.
Working with OTJ Architects, the design called for a massive three-panel stainless steel wall, approximately 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Across the top, raised stainless steel script would read: “In tribute to our employees, past and present, for their dedicated service in the United States Military.” Below, over 625 individual “dog tag” plaques — each laser-cut, brushed, and engraved — would fill the wall in a diamond pattern.
The Challenge
This was no simple sign job. The project demanded precision fabrication at monumental scale — six panels of 304 stainless steel, each roughly 4 by 10 feet, with pressed PEM fasteners, custom framework, and on-site welding of seams that had to disappear.
The underlying block wall was neither level nor perfectly aligned, so every measurement had to be taken from a single origin point and allowed to land where it landed, rather than trying to force a laser-cut rectangle onto an imperfect surface.
Boeing’s security requirements added layers of complexity. Every crew member needed to be vetted — full legal names, dates of birth, citizenship status, and foreign interest declarations were required just to work on the exterior of the building. The team coordinated with Gelberg Signs for permitting, JLL for building management, and Boeing’s own Global Real Estate & Facilities department.
The Process
Fabrication
Every component was fabricated at ShieldCo’s Frederick, Maryland shop — from the massive stainless steel panels and custom mounting framework to the raised inscription lettering and all 625+ individual dog tag plaques. Panel alignment was tested in the shop before anything was shipped to Arlington.
Installation
Installation was executed over a long weekend in late April 2025 with a crew of eight from ShieldCo plus three from Gelberg Signs. Day one: all six panels mounted. Day two — a Saturday chosen to minimize foot traffic — welding, sanding, and finishing the seams until they disappeared. Day three: all 625+ dog tag plaques installed.
The Result
The wall was formally unveiled on May 8, 2025, with Boeing leadership and veteran employees in attendance. The partnership with ShieldCo has continued — Boeing later commissioned additional dog tag plaques for new veteran employees, and ShieldCo established an ongoing maintenance relationship with twice-yearly visits to keep the memorial in pristine condition.
“It is truly an amazing work of art and can’t believe it’s finally up! Thank you both again for all your hard work getting this project finally done. We are so proud of it and so thankful for such a great partnership with ShieldCo.”
Jen Lavender Thompson, Corporate Art Advisory
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ShieldCo specializes in large-scale custom metal fabrication — from memorial walls and public art to corporate signage and architectural metalwork. Let’s bring your vision to life.