World War II Memorial
Sunday, June 15th, 2008There are an estimated 2.9 million living World War II veterans, and about 1000 pass away every day. It in the History books, and I relived it during a very hot afternoon, just me and the camera as my kids sat with water in the shade of a cherry tree.
The National World War II Memorial is a National Memorial to all Americans that served in the armed forces and on the home front during World War II. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
It opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days before Memorial Day.
56 pillars, each 17 feet tall, arranged in a semicircle around a plaza with two 43-foot arches on opposite sides.
Each pillar is inscribed with the name of one of the 48 U.S. states of 1945…, as well as the District of Columbia, the Alaska Territory and Territory of Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The northern arch is inscribed with “Atlantic”…
The southern one, “Pacific.”
The plaza is 337 ft, 10 in long and 240 feet, 2 inches wide, is sunk 6 feet below grade…
…contains a pool that is 246 feet 9 inches by 147 feet 8 inches.
The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people. The Second World War is the only 20th Century event commemorated on the National Mall’s central axis.
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