Remembering the Greatest Generation: World War II Memorial
By: Joe Volz Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2004-05-27 00:00:00-04:00
A new outdoor memorial, remembering the 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in World War II, has opened on the Mall in Washington, just a few hundred yards from the Washington Monument.
It has been a long time arriving-almost 60 years after the conflict ended-and much later than memorials built honoring the Americans killed in Vietnam and Korea.
Granite towers-two stories high and representing each state-surround a pool of water. And off to each side, built so the view from the Washington Monument down the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial would not be obstructed, are two taller towers, four stories high, symbolizing the war in Europe and war in the Pacific.
The words of Harry Truman, president when the war ended, are inscribed on one wall, "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."
There are no statues, or names, of any of those heroic dead, though. Only 400 gold stars represent the dead.
Controversial
Although there was little controversy about America's role in World War II, unlike the dissent over the Vietnam conflict, the World War II Memorial, itself, has been mired in debate.
Some believed that the remaining open spots should not be further covered by yet another memorial. But planners said the site was ideal. After all, monuments to two other great events, the founding of the nation (the Washington Monument) and the cataclysmic war which tore the nation apart (Lincoln Memorial) are already there, as well as the Vietnam and Korean War memorials.
The site was dedicated almost a decade ago by President Clinton after an army of government agencies agonized for years over where the site should go and what it should look like. Finally, the design of Friedrich St. Florian, a Providence, R.I., architect, was chosen. The memorial is funded primarily by private contributions totaling approximately $174 million. Construction began in September 2001.
Even now, there are some harsh critics of the design. A Washington Post columnist, Marc Fisher, has written for example, that the memorial "has the emotional impact of a slab of granite. If it tells any story at all, it is so broad as to be indecipherable. Nowhere does it honor the great war's transformational role in our history."
Veterans Like It
But, then again, although the long simple memorial wall to Vietnam dead, just listing the names, was panned by many critics when it was first built, it is now one of the most revered memorials in a city of memorials. Time may blunt the harsh response to the World War II memorial.
On a recent day, I interviewed World War II veterans visiting their memorials and they did not share the antagonism towards the memorial. They thought it depicted the scope and magnitude of the war perfectly.
"You couldn't put everyone's name on the memorial," said one veteran. "There were too many of us. And after all it was a team effort and this memorial shows that."
The only complaint I heard frequently was, as one Army veteran of the fighting at Normandy put it: "It just took too long to build."
Although the memorial was officially scheduled to open on May 29, 2004, during Memorial Day weekend, it opened one month early. One consideration was that veterans, many in their 80s, were dying at the rate of 1,000 a day and officials wanted to give many of them a chance to see the memorial. Less than 4 million of the 16 million Americans who served in the war are still alive.
FYI
The memorial is open 24 hours a day. The National Park Service asks that visitors refrain from leaving mementoes, such as pictures or flowers, because there is no place to store them. Also, coins are banned from the pools and fountains because they are said to stain the pools. That rule, though, has been ignored by thousands of visitors.
Information Center
National Park Service employees staff a center at the site.
Parking
There are only five disabled parking places at the memorial but a nearby driveway is used by tour buses. The nearest subway stop, Smithsonian, is about a mile away.
Online Resources
World War II Registry
Family members who wish to enroll those who contributed to the war effort, whether a veteran or civilian, can click on the memorial site. Visitors to the Web site can also read the names of those already enrolled.
Books
Find these books online at Borders.com.
The World War II Memorial: A Grateful Nation Remembers
By Douglas Brinkley, Smithsonian Institution Press, May 2004
The Greatest Generation
By Tom Brokaw, Dell Publishing Company, Incorporated, May 2001
Devil at My Heels: A Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II
By Louis Zamperini, David Rensin, Harper Collins Publishers, February 2004
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