World War II Memorial Opens to Public

Yahoo! News ^ | Apr 29, 2004 | JENNIFER C. KERR

[MEG33]

It is beautiful.Long past due.

[joeyGibson]

I was mesmerized by Band of Brothers on the History Channel last week. I am now reading the Stephen Ambrose book on which the miniseries was based, and I bought the DVD set of the show just today. What those men endured to save civilization was nothing short of amazing. It's well past time for this memorial.

[Nexus]

I can't tell if the aerial shot is real or not. I'm sure that's about what it looks like, regardless.

[deport]

WW II Registry

[Mo1]

It's beautiful and I look forward to seeing it .. God Bless them all

This is the Division my father was in

The 69th Infantry Division during World War II.

[dfwgator]

Tom Hanks may be a typical Hollywood liberal but he deserves kudos for help bringing this to fruition.

[Nexus]

According to the Yahoo caption, is is an actual photo, by AP photographer Lauren Burke:

The World War II Memorial, foreground, and the Lincoln Memorial, background are seen from the Washington Monument Thursday, April 29, 2004. A national monument to the 16 million U.S. men and women who served during World War II opened to the public Thursday and immediately helped introduce another generation to the heroism that brought victory to America and its allies. (AP Photo/Lauren Burke)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040429/480/wx10104291611

I love responding to my own posts...

[Mo1]

PING

[deport]

The granite and bronze memorial lies at the eastern end of the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool.

The core of the site is a small Rainbow Pool and fountain, restored after years of disuse, which sits 6 feet below street level. The effect is that the memorial appears to be slightly submerged. From a distance, only the tops of the taller structures are visible. Supporters say that tempers concerns that the project interrupts the vista along Mall.

Fifty-six stone pillars representing the 48 states in the union at the time of the war, seven U.S. territories, including Alaska and Hawaii, and the District of Columbia encircle the newly renovated pool and fountains. But the feeling of enclosure is lessened by the openness between the pillars, through which the trees beyond the perimeter and sky are visible.

Two 43-foot arches stand amid the pillars on the north and south ends to symbolize the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of operations, each with large bronze eagles to represent victory.

At the western end is the Freedom Wall with its 4,000 gold sculpted stars. The 407,316 U.S. deaths they symbolize are roughly seven times the Vietnam War's total and hundreds of times more than Iraq's thus far.

The memorial's architect, Friedrich St. Florian, has said that his design isn't meant to glorify war. Rather, it's to memorialize victory.

World War II Memorial comes into full view this week

[NRA2BFree]

You might like to see this. ;-)

[deport]

National WW II Web Site

[YepYep]

After years of mostly silence, my WWII dad finally spoke publicly about his war experiences. It is amazing what he and those other young men went through, as they went to various Pacific islands during that conflict. He wound up back in the states after several really close calls, and was in training for an assault on Japan when the training class disbanded due to the end of the war. After annual reunions with his buddies for years and years, they don't get together now, due to their few number and advancing age. Yes, this monument is wonderful.

[Quilla]

Thanks for the link and the ping. Found my father and two of his brothers (who didn't make it home) in the Registry. Eyes full of tears....

[RonDog]

From www.wwiimemorial.com:

High-Resolution Images
	Click on an image below to open the high-resolution image.

West View Rendering by Joe McKendry

East View Rendering by Joe McKendry

Atlantic Arch Rendering by Joe McKendry

Field of Gold Stars Rendering by Joe McKendry

Atlantic Arch + Plaza Rendering by Michael McCann

Pacific Arch + Plaza Rendering by Michael McCann

Atlantic Arch with Washington Monument Rendering by Joowan Lee

View From 17th Street Rendering by Joowan Lee

[onyx]

It's stunningly beautiful.
I want to see it.

[prairiebreeze]

Sometimes I think of what those times must have been like for the families and those left at home. No internet or tv, they listened to radio broadcast, read the papers and watched newsreels for information on what was happening. Waiting. Waiting for precious letters to arrive, and writing them too.

Maybe working for the war effort here at home. Factory jobs. Rationing, gas and sugar and other things. Rubber drives, paper drives. And a whole lot of patriotism, though perhaps not without hearing at least occasional opposition to the war.

Those who came home and those who didn't. I guess that's pretty much the same as today and every war, except perhaps for the numbers of casualties. Wondering, worrying and praying. That hasn't changed either.

I hope their media was more reliable and less biased than ours is today. The memorial looks beautiful. I hope I get the opportunity to visit it.

Prairie

[Hanging Chad]

I still don't understand why they decided not to include
the Merchant Marines in the memorial, other than that, it looks great.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Just found this in the registry. JFK's brother:

"Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. BRANCH OF SERVICE U.S. Navy HOMETOWN Hyannis Port, MA HONORED BY The John W. Kessler Family, Family Friends ACTIVITY DURING WWII AS NAVAL AVIATOR, SERVED IN ENGLAND WITH FIRST NAVAL SQUADRON TO FLY B-24S WITH THE BRITISH NAVAL COMMAND. AFTER COMPLETING HIS TOUR OF DUTY, VOLUNTEERED FOR HIGH RISK ASSIGNMENT ON WHICH HE LOST HIS LIFE AUGUST 12, 1944: PROJECT ANVIL, A MISSION TO DESTROY A GERMAN V-1 ROCKET LAUNCHING SITE IN NORMANDY. POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS AND AIR MEDAL. "

[SAMWolf]

Bump

[Soaring Feather]

Beautiful and long over due.