The World War II Memorial as viewed from the top of the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial is at the far end, with the Reflecting Pool separating the two monuments. If you enlarge this photo and look at about the middle of the photo on the left hand side, you can see a little bit of white. That is the Washington World War I Memorial--small and lonely.
The whole WWII Monument
Stone at the entrance
The Inscription at the entrance to the Monument. If you look towards the Lincoln Memorial, you can see the Freedom Wall and it's 4,000 gold stars commemorating the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in WWII.A Nation at War
On each side of the memorial's ceremonial entrance on 17th Street, 12 bas-relief sculptures recall scenes of America at war. In one of the scenes, a family gathers around its radio to hear President Franklin D. Roosevelt ask Congress for a declaration of war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.
It wasn't always easy to define what each sculpture's exact meaning was, but in this one, my best guess was that it showed the young men getting checked over after entering the service and then their fathers waving goodbye to them as they left for training.
It wasn't always easy to define what each sculpture's exact meaning was, but in this one, my best guess was that it showed the young men getting checked over after entering the service and then their fathers waving goodbye to them as they left for training.
Twin Atlantic and Pacific pavilions symbolize a war fought across two oceans. Inscriptions at the base of the pavilion fountains mark key battles of the war. All those who served received the WWII Victory Medal that also adorns the pavilion floors.
Roll call of the nation: The 56 U.S. states, territories, and District of Columbia the united in a common cause are inscribed on these pillars. They alternate to the right and left of the field of stars, based on when they entered the Union. Delaware was the first state.
Arsenal of Democracy
Wreaths of Oak and wheat on each of the memorials pillars symbolize the nation's industrial and agricultural strength, both of which were essential to the success of the global war effort.
Excerpts from the NPS Brochure:
Building the Memorial:
In 1993, Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Selected in a national competition, Friedrich St. Florian designed the memorial. Funded mostly by pricate donation, it was begun in Septermer 2001 and dedicated on May 29th, 2004.
Ideals of Democracy
Placing the memorial between the Washington Monument and Lincold Memorial reflects the importance of World War II in preserving and internationalizing democratic ideals won under George Washington and defended under Abraham Lincoln. This morial continues America's story of striving for freedom and individual rights.
As with all the memorials and monuments, it is a very moving experience to be there. However, the WWII Memorial is one that also affects us personally. Clive was born in England, on the Isle of Wight, during the Second World War, and personally experienced wartime issues such as rationing, bombing raids, etc. His father was in the Home Guard, and away most of the war. I never got to know my mother's oldest brother, as he was killed in Italy towards the end of the war, just before I was born. One of her younger brothers then joined and served, as did one of her younger sisters. It was a time when not many families were left untouched by this horrible war.
Arsenal of DemocracyWreaths of Oak and wheat on each of the memorials pillars symbolize the nation's industrial and agricultural strength, both of which were essential to the success of the global war effort.
Excerpts from the NPS Brochure:Building the Memorial:
In 1993, Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Selected in a national competition, Friedrich St. Florian designed the memorial. Funded mostly by pricate donation, it was begun in Septermer 2001 and dedicated on May 29th, 2004.
Ideals of Democracy
Placing the memorial between the Washington Monument and Lincold Memorial reflects the importance of World War II in preserving and internationalizing democratic ideals won under George Washington and defended under Abraham Lincoln. This morial continues America's story of striving for freedom and individual rights.
As with all the memorials and monuments, it is a very moving experience to be there. However, the WWII Memorial is one that also affects us personally. Clive was born in England, on the Isle of Wight, during the Second World War, and personally experienced wartime issues such as rationing, bombing raids, etc. His father was in the Home Guard, and away most of the war. I never got to know my mother's oldest brother, as he was killed in Italy towards the end of the war, just before I was born. One of her younger brothers then joined and served, as did one of her younger sisters. It was a time when not many families were left untouched by this horrible war.
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