Description:
The National World War II Memorial, located in the Washington, DC, recognizes 16 million people who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II. This number also includes the 400,000 plus individuals who sacrificed themselves for the betterment of their country. The National World War II is located in the central section of the National Mall, which allows for a large amount of visitors to pass by and witness the grandeur. Occupying 7.4-acres the memorial was designed by Friedrich St. Florian with Leo Daly, sculptor Raymond Kaskey, and Oehme, van Sweden & Associates. The memorial integrates various components from the historic Rainbow Pool, which was designed by Henry Bacon and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr in 1912. The location for the memorial site was dedicated in 1989 for its position on the axis between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. In 1993, President Clinton permitted the establishment of the memorial to begin and construction of the monument completed in 2004 and was opened to the public.
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General History:
In 1993, President Clinton allowed the American Battle Monuments Commission to process in the creation of a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The main focus of the memorial is to honor the 16 million individuals who served in the armed forces of the United States during World War II, from 1941 to 1945, as well as the 400,000 individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. In 1995, the location for the memorial dedicated on the site of the 1924 Rainbow Pool, which located at the east end of the Reflecting Pool. Deciding who was going to be plan out the design of the monument became a national competition. In the end, the design created by architect Friedrich St. Florian and landscape architect Oehme van Sweden & Associates were the chosen winners. Details with the design plan concluded in 2003. On May 29, 2004, the memorial was dedicated.
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Symbolism/Analysis:
Various symbols of America’s role during the Second World War are presented in an artistic manner and can be seen all over the memorial. A grandiose fountain embedded in the center, 56 granite columns that symbolize the unity the 48 states at the time of the war as well as seven federal territories and the District of Columbia. Columns can be seen surrounding the monument which form a semi-circle around the memorial’s plaza that holds two 43-foot tall arches on the north and south ends. In the north, the arch demonstrates the victory in the Atlantic. In the south, the arch shows victory in the Pacific. When a visitor enters the memorial’s semi-circle from the eastern entrance, attention should be given to the two walls on left and the right. These walls contain captivating scenes from the war which are rendered in bronze relief. When looking at the left wall, which is in the direction of the Pacific arch, the scenes are in a linear progression that shows the experience of war all the way to the homecoming of the American soldiers. The right wall is testimony to the war in the Atlantic which depicts American and Russian armies engaging in the action of shaking hands when the two sides met in Germany at the conclusion of the war. The World War II Memorial is home of the Freedom Wall which is a very powerful piece. This wall has 4,048 gold stars embedded in it which pay tribute to American lives lost during the war. Every star is meant to symbolize 100 American soldiers lost. The memorials have a variety of battle names and military campaign destinations displayed. Located in front of the wall is a stone that transcribes the following, “Here we mark the price of freedom.” Finally, the memorial is embedded with two hidden inscriptions of the American symbol, “Kilroy was here,” which was used in the second World War. The significance of the phrase shows the existence of armed force of the United States, which was written with a doodle, in various sites throughout the war.
