National World War II Memorial

Lonely Planet review

DC's newest memorial is particularly moving at dusk, when the American flags are lowered and the mixture of white lights illuminating marble pillars and fountains, reflecting in inky pools, creates a picture as haunting as it is beautiful.

Dedicated on Memorial Day (May 29) 2004, the memorial emphasizes the nation's unprecedented unity during WWII in hopes of inspiring such nationalism in post-WWII generations while honoring the 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces during the war, the 400,000 that died and the many millions more who helped the from home, collecting scrap metal and tending victory gardens.

Constructed around the old Rainbow Pool, the memorial is appropriately placed between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Its plaza is anchored by dual arches, symbolizing the victory in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, and surrounded by 56 granite pillars, one for each state and territory, plus DC. The Freedom Wall somberly sparkles with 4000 hand-sculpted gold stars, one for every 100 Americans who lost their lives between 1941 and 1945 (the stars are replicas of those worn by mothers who lost sons in the war).