 |
| World War II Memorial Now Open |
April 08, 2004 |
| |
A new national memorial is joining the famed National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The National World War II Memorial is to be dedicated this year at the end of May. The expansive monument is centered in a place of honor on the National Mall, not far from the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.
The May 29 dedication ceremony will include exhibits, photo displays and a veterans reunion. Throughout the day there will be memorial services to remember fallen soldiers, as well as to honor survivors.
Thousands of veterans and their families are looking forward to this dedication, and many will be a part of the ceremony. General John P. Herrling, U.S. Army, retired, is the chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission tasked with overseeing the construction of the monument.
The monument features a series of fifty-six large columns. Each column is symbolic of a state or territory of the United States. Hanging on each column is a magnificent bronze wreath.
The memorial will also display eight sculpted eagles with incredible eighteen-foot wingspans. They will be strategically placed around the memorial.
On the memorial’s west end, one of the walls is decorated with almost 4,000 gold stars, each star represents 100 fallen U.S. soldiers. The actual construction of the monument is nearly complete, but the official dedication ceremony will be this spring.
However, visitors this month to the National Mall can see the imposing monument.
The monument was authorized May 25,1993, setting off a search for an appropriate site. Congress decided that the memorial was worthy of a showcase site on the National Mall. |
|
|
|