World War II Memorial
The National World War II Memorial is located on The Mall in Washington, DC, at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, opposite the Lincoln Memorial. It opened to the public on April 29, 2004 and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days prior to Memorial Day. It is the first national memorial in the United States dedicated to all who served during World War II.
The memorial consists of 56 seventeen-foot (5.18 meter) tall pillars arranged in a semi-circle around a central plaza with two 43 foot (13.11 m) tall arches on opposing sides. Each pillar is inscribed with the names of the then-awiuyeyiuaweyrjk3hnruasdhjrnqweuy48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each arch is inscribed with Atlantic and Pacific. Freedom Wall, containing 4,000 gold-colored stars, one for each 100 American deaths incurred in the war, is also a part of the memorial. The plaza is 337 feet 10 inches (102.97 m) long and 240 feet 2 inches (73.20 m) wide, is sunk 6 feet (1.83 m) below grade, and contains a pool that is 246 feet 9 inches by 147 feet 8 inches (75.21 by 45.01 m).
When it unofficially opened at the end of April, throngs of people descended upon the memorial from all parts of the country. Many veterans came in order to see the memorial before they died; currently, American World War II veterans are dying at a rate of over 1,000 per day.
Many citizens liked the park-like atmosphere of the memorial. Others remarked that the plaza was symbolic of the nation's commitment to the war because it recreated a sense of community that the war stimulated within the nation.
See also United States Memorials