National World War II Memorial

I

Introduction

National World War II Memorial, United States national memorial authorized in 1993 and completed in 2004. It is the first national memorial honoring all Americans who took part in World War II (1939-1945): the 16 million who served in the war, the more than 400,000 who died in it, and millions more who supported the war effort at home.

II

Design

The National World War II Memorial is located in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The oval-shaped granite memorial plaza, with the historic Rainbow Pool at its center, serves as the heart of the memorial.

The memorial plaza is ringed by 56 columns representing the U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia. The columns are connected to each other by a bronze rope, symbolizing America’s unity during the war. Each column is 5 m (17 ft) high and has two bronze wreaths hanging from it.

At the north and south end of the memorial plaza are two 13 m- (43 ft-) high arches. The two arches represent the Pacific and the Atlantic theaters of the war. The north and south entrance walls near these arches include 24 bas-relief panels illustrating how America mobilized all its resources to fight a war in two theaters.

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The Freedom Wall is located on the west side of the plaza. It is 3 m (9 ft) high and contains the Field of Stars, a wall consisting of 4,048 gold stars. Each star represents 100 men and women who died in the war.

The memorial has a number of quotes carved into the granite including ones by President Franklin Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and General Douglas MacArthur. An inscription at the entrance places the memorial in historical context and honors those who served. It reads:

Here in the presence of Washington and Lincoln, one the Eighteenth century father and the other the Nineteenth century preserver of our nation, we honor those Twentieth century Americans who took up the struggle during the Second World War….

III

History

Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio first proposed a bill to Congress to create a World War II memorial in 1987. Congress finally passed a bill in 1993 and President Bill Clinton signed the law, authorizing the memorial the same year. After a nationwide competition, architect Friedrich St. Florian was chosen to design the memorial. Construction on the memorial began in 2001. The memorial cost $175 million and was built with both public and private contributions. It was completed in 2004 and dedicated in a public ceremony on May 29, 2004. It is administered by the National Park Service.

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