Categories: History

The World War II Memorial in Washington DC

It took more than 60 years for America to honor its veterans of World War Two with a memorial in Washington DC, but it has finally happened. In 2004, the National World War II Memorial was opened to the public to honor those Americans who fought in World War II, those who died in the war, and those who supported the war effort from the home-front. Located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, the memorial will remind future generations of Americans of the great price that had to be paid to preserve our liberty during the Second World War.

Although communities around the country have built their own memorials to their World War Two veterans, it took a surprisingly long time for there to be any national effort to build a national monument. The first time any legislation was introduced calling for the creation of a national monument was in 1987 when Representative Marcy Kaptur sponsored HR 3742 which authorized the National Battle Monuments Commission to begin work on a World War Two memorial. It was not until 1993, however, that the legislation ever got a vote. When it did, however, it passed and fundraising work to raise the estimated $175 million began almost immediately. Senator Bob Dole and Fed-Ex founder Frederick W. Smith led this national effort which ended up raisin $195 million, mostly from private sources.

Seven sites were discussed for the memorial, but it was eventually decided that the monument would be built in downtown Washington between the Lincoln and Washington monuments where the Rainbow Pool used to be. In 1996, a national design competition received over 400 entries of which six were chosen for further consideration. In the end, the commission chose a design by Fredrick St. Florian .

Friedrich St. Florian’s design incorporates a slightly small Rainbow Pool into the design of the monument. It sits at the middle of a ring of 56 columns. These columns represent the unity of the US states and territories during the war. Two arches symbolize the war in the Pacific and the the Atlantic while 4000 gold stars on the “Freedom Wall” each represent 100 American soldiers who died during the war. Construction began in 2001 and the memorial opened to the public in 2004.

There has been some controversy about the memorial, however. Some ask why it took so long to build a memorial to such an important part of our American history. At the same time, some say that it was built too quickly. They believe that the review process should have taken longer despite the fact that thousands of World War Two veterans were dying every day and that Congress needed to act quickly if it wanted any of the World War Two veterans to see the monument dedicated to them. Still others say that the memorial destroys the historic view between the Washington and Lincoln monuments and that it disrupts the Lawn’s role a traditional place for protest in America. Nevertheless, many Americans, including many World War Two veterans, are quite pleased with the monument and it attracts millions of visitors every year.