National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The national World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004.

Despite more than 16 million Americans having served in the armed forces during World War II, and 400,000 Americans dying, it took more than 60 years after the war’s end for the completion of the memorial

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., spearheaded the fund raising efforts for the memorial, which cost around $182 million. Some facts about the World War II Memorial:

¢ Legislation for the memorial was introduced in 1987; it finally was approved and signed into law in 1993. Ground was broken in 2000 after a long debate over the appropriate site and design.

¢ It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., opposite the Lincoln Memorial near the reflecting pool and near the Washington Monument.

¢ The memorial includes 56 granite pillars celebrating the states, territories and the District of Columbia. Those pillars, which include bronze wreaths, are connected by a bronze-sculpted rope that symbolizes the nation’s unity during the war.

¢ The “commemorative area” inside the memorial includes a field of 4,000 gold stars – one for each 100 U.S. soldiers who died.

– Source: www.wwiimemorial.com