The World War II Memorial, intended to honor the 16 million men and women who served in
America’s armed forces during that conflict, is now open on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. Thousands of veterans and their comrades-in-arms from many different
conflicts attended the April 2004 dedication ceremonies. Designed by architect Friedrich
St. Florian, the memorial creates a special place to commemorate the sacrifices made in the
name of freedom, and celebrate the victory of WW II. The 338-foot-long memorial plaza and
its 247-foot-long Rainbow Pool are the principal design features of the memorial, unifying
all other elements. Two 43-foot-tall arched pavilions serve as markers of the north and
south ends of the plaza. A field of 4,000 sculpted gold stars on the Freedom Wall in the
commemorative area honors the 400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in what has
come to be known as this nation’s last Great War. Ironically, the $175 million memorial
took 17 years to complete – four times as long as it took to win the war! The National
World War II Memorial is located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
It is open to the public every day of the year. For more information, call (800) 639-4WW2,
or go to wwiimemorial.com
.
