As we made our way past the Washington Monument, we came upon the World War II Memorial. When I came to DC in high school, this memorial was not completed. It was exciting to see it in person since I am a history lover and an admirer of the WWII era in particular.

From Wikipedia: “The memorial consists of 56 granite pillars, each 17 feet (5.2 m) tall, arranged in a semicircle around a plaza with two 43-foot (13 m) triumphal arches on opposite sides. Two-thirds of the 7.4-acre (30,000 m2) site is landscaping and water. Each pillar is inscribed with the name of one of the 48 U.S. states of 1945, as well as the District of Columbia, the Alaska Territory and Territory of Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The northern arch is inscribed with “Atlantic”; the southern one, “Pacific.” The plaza is 337 ft 10 in (102.97 m) long and 240 feet 2 inches (73.20 m) wide, is sunk 6 feet (1.8 m) below grade, and contains a pool that is 246 feet 9 inches by 147 feet 8 inches (75.2 × 45.0 m).”

It’s a breath-taking memorial. If I go back, I would like to spend a more leisurely visit here. Here are some photos of our time at this magnificent memorial.

Our obligatory two group shots, above and below.

This is a monument to the branches of the military, and I thought I had taken one of the entire statue, but I only found this shot on my camera. Matt sat beside the Navy since his Papa was in the Navy and his dad tried to join the Navy.

As stated above, the memorial is divided into the “Atlantic” and the “Pacific” theaters of WWII. This is a view of the Atlantic end.

A view of the Pacific end.

Engravings of various battle scenes were on the walls. Due to the impatience of the children, I couldn’t look at each one closely, but they illustrate the brave acts that our military performed in WWII. My heart was overwhelmed with gratitude for their sacrifices and courage as I thought upon what these images represented.

These quotations by Eisenhower and Marshall are on the two sides of the Atlantic end of the memorial. I did not get photos of the Pacific end, but it also had quotations.

Terry with the memorial honoring the great men and women from his home state.

Leslie stood with Oklahoma. We are not “Okies”, but we love the ones we know!

Me, Matthew, and Mitchell with the memorial for the men and women from Arkansas who served in WWII.

Notice the rope that attaches to each state memorial. In WWII, each state was bound to the other as we fought with Britain and Russia to defeat the Third Reich and Japan. If only America could stand together against hate, law-breakers, and terrorism- our enemies today – it would make all the difference! I love being an American, I love it because of what America stands for: freedom! Is she, or was she ever, perfect? No. But the principles upon which she was founded are noble ones.

This the portico which faces the Atlantic end. It was our last photo before we headed down the National Mall to our next stop, the Lincoln Memorial. As I have said, there was more to see and enjoy. I would love to come back and see these monuments at night. On this trip, we felt that time was our enemy.

Thank you for joining me!