World War II Memorial: Sacrifice and Service
The World War II Memorial is dedicated to those who served the United States and the world during the Second World War. It sits on 7.4 acres of land and is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at the eastern end of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool.
The memorial consists of fifty-six granite pillars (each being seventeen feet tall) arranged in two semicircles with a forty-three-foot triumphal arch at the center of each semicircle. Forty-eight granite pillars are inscribed with the names of the states in existence in 1945; the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, America Samoa, and the territories of Hawaii and Alaska are also represented by pillars--making for a total of fifty-six pillars.
The northern arch is inscribed with the word “Atlantic,” commemorating the service and sacrifice of those who served in the Atlantic Theater against the European Axis powers of Germany and Italy; the southern arch is inscribed with the word “Pacific,” commemorating those who served and sacrificed in the Pacific Theater against the Axis power of Japan.
Between the two semicircles of pillars and triumphal arches is a 337-foot, 10-inch long by 240-foot, 2-inch-wide plaza featuring walkways and seating areas. In the center of the plaza is a pool with a fountain—the pool being 246 feet, 9 inches long by 147 feet, 8 inches wide.
As one enters the memorial, one can see the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. As one exits the memorial, one sees the Washington Monument. The walls leading to the plaza include bas-relief scenes depicting those who served and sacrificed in the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters.
Opposite the entrance, and in between the pillars and arches, is the Freedom Wall. The wall has 4,048 gold stars, each star representing one hundred soldiers who died during the war. In front of the wall of gold stars are the inscribed words, “Here we mark the price of freedom.”
The World War II Memorial opened on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004. It will forever be a symbol of service and sacrifice and the high price of freedom.
