World War II Memorial

Did You Know?

• The Freedom Wall bears the message "Here we mark the price of freedom."
• Each of the 4,048 gold stars on the Freedom Wall represents 100 Americans who died in the war.

Overview

The memorial covers 7.4 acres, with two-thirds of that space devoted to landscaping and water features. At its heart, a plaza is sunk six feet below grade and measures 337 feet long by 240 feet wide, containing a pool that is 75.2 by 45.0 meters. Fifty-six granite pillars, each seventeen feet tall, stand in a semicircle around this plaza. Two triumphal arches, each forty-three feet high, sit on opposite sides: the northern one is marked "Atlantic," the southern one "Pacific."

Every pillar carries the name of a U.S. state from 1945—all 48—plus the District of Columbia, the Alaska Territory, the Territory of Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Two small "Kilroy was here" engravings are tucked into the memorial, honoring the symbol's meaning for American troops. Approaching from the east, visitors follow two walls of bas-relief. On the left, toward the Pacific arch, the carvings show servicemen from physical exams and the oath through combat and burial to a homecoming.

On the right, toward the Atlantic arch, scenes depict the European theater, including preparations in England and ending with a handshake between American and Russian forces in Germany.

History

In 1987, World War II veteran Roger Durbin approached Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio about constructing a World War II memorial. Kaptur introduced the World War II Memorial Act to the House on December 10, but it was not voted on. Similar bills in 1989 and 1991 also failed. Kaptur reintroduced the legislation on January 27, 1993, the day after Senator Strom Thurmond introduced companion Senate legislation.

The Senate approved the act on March 17, 1993; the House approved an amended version on May 4; the Senate approved the amended bill on May 12; and President Bill Clinton signed it into law on May 25, 1993. On September 30, 1994, Clinton appointed a 12-member Memorial Advisory Board to advise the American Battle Monuments Commission on site selection, design, and fundraising. A direct mail campaign raised millions from individuals, with additional large donations from veterans' groups.

Corporate fundraising was led by co-chairmen Senator Bob Dole and Frederick W. Smith. The federal government contributed about $16 million; total funds raised reached $197 million.

Construction

Ground was broken in November 2000, with construction managed by the General Services Administration. New England Stone Industries of Rhode Island fabricated the stone, working closely with St. Florian and the American Battle Monuments Commission. The triumphal arches were sub-contracted to Rock of Ages Corporation. Sculptor Raymond Kaskey created the bronze eagles, two wreaths under the arches, and 24 bronze bas-relief panels depicting wartime scenes.

The bronzes were cast over two and a half years at Laran Bronze in Chester, Pennsylvania. The stainless-steel armature for the eagles and wreaths was designed at Laran, partly by sculptor James Peniston, and fabricated by Apex Piping of Newport, Delaware. The twin bronze wreaths on the 56 pillars and the 4,048 gold-plated silver stars representing American military deaths were cast at Valley Bronze in Joseph, Oregon. The John Stevens Shop designed the lettering, with most inscriptions hand-carved in situ.

The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated on May 29. Authority transferred to the National Park Service on November 1, 2004.

Controversy

Critics, including the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, opposed the memorial's location, arguing it would interrupt the unbroken view between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and take up open space historically used for demonstrations. The expedited approval process drew criticism; Congress, concerned that World War II veterans were dying before a memorial could be built, passed legislation exempting the memorial from further site and design review and dismissed pending legal challenges.

Aesthetic objections were also raised: a Boston Herald critic described the monument as "vainglorious, demanding of attention and full of trite imagery. The Philadelphia Inquirer argued that "this pompous style was also favored by Hitler and Mussolini. The Washington Post called it "overbearing," "bombastic," and a "hodgepodge of cliche and Soviet-style pomposity" with "the emotional impact of a slab of granite. One prominent architecture critic dismissed it as "knee-jerk historicism.

After a concurrent resolution from the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly and a lobbying campaign by Sen. Kenneth McClintock, the number of columns was raised to 56, adding Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Philippines, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.