National World War II Memorial

Nearly 59 years after the end of World War II, the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

The Memorial Day weekend celebration on the National Mall culminated an 11-year effort to honor America’s World War II generation. The memorial was authorized by Congress in 1993. Construction began in September 2001 after several years of fund raising and public hearings.

The National World War II Memorial is the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. The memorial, established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, honors all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the home front, the nation at large, and the high moral purpose and idealism that motivated the nation's call to arms. The Second World War will be the only 20th century event commemorated on the Mall’s central axis.

For more information about the site, visit the National Park Service site or the National WWII Memorial site.

The images on the page depict a watercolor of the Memorial (top left) and the Atlantic Arch with the Washington Monument in the background (above right). Click on the images for a larger version. These and more can be found at the National WWII Memorial site.