Learn Our History Today: On April 29, 2004, the National World War II Memorial opened in Washington D.C. Located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, this new monument pays tribute to the nearly 16 million U.S. service members who served during the Second World War. Made of Granite and bronze, the massive structure features arches spanning fountains to symbolize the conflicts in Europe and the Pacific in addition to pillars representing each of the fifty states, along with the District of Columbia and the territories. Other features of the Memorial are a wall containing 4,000 gold stars, each representing 100 of the soldiers killed in World War II and a stone which states that the great Monument honors the Americans who took up the struggle during the Second World War and made the sacrifices to perpetuate the gift our forefathers entrusted to us: A nation conceived in liberty and justice. Originally conceived in 1987, after a Second World War veteran asked an Ohio Congressman at a local fish fry why there was no memorial on the National Mall for the millions of Americans who served in the war, the monument went through many hurdles before being finally completed in 2004. The government initially only donated 16 Million dollars to the fund for building the memorial, and it would end up taking nearly 200 million dollars in private donations to get the massive structure finished. Unfortunately by the time it was completed, nearly three fourths of the country’s World War II Veterans had died, leaving only a small portion alive and able to see the completed memorial.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:39:00 +0000
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