Tourist Destinations: National World War II Memorial

The National World War II Memorial is the latest addition to the 7 Icon memorials on the National Mall In Washington D.C.. It was opened to the public in 2004 on the former site of what was known as The Rainbow Pool in between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial was construed to honor everyone who was involved in the entire World War II effort which includes the 16 million that served in the armed forces, all of those who supported the effort at home, and the 400,000+ that died during the fighting. Its design was meant to honor those who fought to preserve world freedom and to continue the lasting legacy of the entire generation. There are 56 pillars that represent all of the Nation's States, the District of Columbia and our other territories during the war. There is also two columns that represent both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war. The memorials main piece is what is known as the wall of stars (shown in the picture to the right). There are a total of 4,048 Gold Stars on the wall, each representing 100 Americans who died in the War.

Here is a video put together by the National Parks Service to show the dedication that Americans had to the entire war effort and how they are all represented in the memorial.

Source: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=home.asp