The DC Traveler

Monument Monday - The National World War II Memorial

by Jon on January 14th, 2008

Located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II Memorial commemorates the 16 million American men and women who served, fought, sacrificed and died during the Second World War.

Surrounding the majestic plaza are 56 17-foot pillars, each inscribed with the name of a state (48 at the time of the war), as well as the 8 districts or territories (DC, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).  At either end of the memorial are two large inscribed arches, one for the Atlantic theater and the other for the Pacific theater.

With a view of the reflecting pool, The Freedom Wall at the west side of the memorial, holds 4,048 gold stars, each one representing 100 dead American soldiers.  About 76% of causalities were Army personnel, 21% Army Air Corps, 15% Navy, 6% Marines and 2% Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.  Surprisingly, the Merchant Marines had the highest percentage of casualties, close to 4%, slightly higher than the Marines at 3.7%.  Over 14,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines also died as prisoners of war.

At various points, famous quotations are engraved from President Roosevelt, Admiral Nimitz, Generals Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower, among others.

A list the many sites where major battles were fought are also engraved around the bases of the two end fountains in front of the arches.

During the war, a national icon, showing that the Americans had “been there”, sprung up across Europe and the Pacific, from troop transport ships to tanks, rural farmhouses to the Arc de Triomphe. The national joke, “KILROY WAS HERE”, was reported the invention of an American shipyard inspector, named J.J. Kilroy. While inspecting troop ships, instead of the typical chalk line, he would mark the rivets he had checked with his personal “KILROY WAS HERE” signature.  Tens of thousands of servicemen saw  his signature on ships heading to Europe and the Pacific theaters and servicemen started placing the slogan on just about everything.  It quickly became such a popular soldier’s icon that it was said that “The outrageousness of the graffiti was not so much what it said, but where it turned up.”

And if you look hard, you can find this most popular WW-II icon, Kilroy on the memorial.  But you need to look hard to find him.  Need a hint?

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Check out The DC Traveler’s Insider Tip for directions.

The World War II memorial opened to the public in April of 2004, almost 60 years after the war ended. The concept of a national memorial on the Mall was originated by World War II vet, Roger Durbin of Ohio.  He asked his congressman if a WW-II memorial could be constructed and after 6 years of introducing multiple bills in Congress, it passed, just one day after a similar bill passed the Senate.   

Similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a design competition was held and architect Friedrich St. Florian’s submission was selected.

World War two was actually two simulations wars, one in Europe and North Africa, and the other in Asia and the Pacific. The two wars started years before the U.S. was involved.  The Pacific war was started when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and in 1937, bombed and invaded mainland China, starting a full-scale war in Asia and the Pacific.  In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, starting the European war.

The U.S. had avoided entering the conflicts under treaties of neutrality. But on the morning of December 8th, 1941, the day after the Japanese simultaneously bombed U.S. military installations in Hawaii, Midway Island, Guam, Wake Island and the Philippines, the U.S. declared War on Japan. 

Germany and Italy, under treaties with Japan, soon also declared war on the U.S.

The war officially ended with the surrender of Japan on V-J Day, August 15, 1945, three months after Germany surrendered. Italy has surrender in Sept. 1943.  

Estimates of war causalities are 25 million military personnel from all sides, as well as 46 million civilians.  The total cost of WW-II was roughly 3.7% of the world’s population.

The Second World War has been described as America’s first truly national experience (excluding perhaps the Civil War). 

National World War II Memorial
17th Street, NW, between Constitution & Independence
Washington, DC  (map it)

Dates and Times - Open daily, 24-hours a day.

Admission - Admission is free.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Smithsonian, Blue and Orange lines, then a 6-block walk.

Parking - Limited metered and free street parking is available within a few blocks walk.

Images - Memorial photos from personal collection except Kilroy - Flickr.

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POSTED IN: Attractions, Freebies - Free or No Cost, Great Places to Unwind, Insider's Tip, Monuments & Memorials, Travel Tips – General Information