Posted on 04/29/2004 11:33:14 AM PDT by yonif
WASHINGTON - A national monument to the 16 million U.S. men and women who served during World War II opened to the public Thursday, giving veterans of that era a sense of recognition some say was long overdue but well worth the wait.
"It is beautiful," declared World War II veteran and former Marine George Lynch. "To see this memorial after all these years is absolutely marvelous."
The granite and bronze monument features waterfalls, fountains, and a curved wall bedecked with gold stars to represent the more than 400,000 who gave their lives in the war.
On its opening day, under glorious sunshine, the memorial immediately helped introduce another generation to the heroism that brought victory to America and its allies.
As the first visitors, hundreds of schoolchildren raced down two entrance ramps after receiving a stern warning from the U.S. Park Service not to throw any coins into the many fountains because they stain the granite.
The children shouted and pointed, exclaiming "Oh, cool!" and "Look at that!"
Zach Richter, 14, of Newtown, Conn., whose grandfather served in World War II, said he couldn't wait to get home to call him and let him know his grandson was one of the first visitors.
"He's proud that people are finally recognizing him," said Richter, who was with 400 other 8th-graders from Newtown Middle School.
The memorial has been almost two decades in the making. While the formal dedication ceremony is still a month away, project organizers raced to put the finishing touches on the memorial so the ever-dwindling number of veterans from that era can visit it.
America's World War II vets are dying at a rate of 1,056 a day, the Veterans Affairs Department estimates. Fewer than 4 million will be alive at the time of the Memorial Day weekend dedication.
Until now, veterans and tourists have only been able to peek at the memorial through wire fencing surrounding the site or from a small walkway on one end. Now that the fences are down, visitors can roam freely about the memorial, which sits prominently between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.
Equal in size to the length of a football field, the memorial has two hulking 43-foot arches at each end. One is marked Atlantic, the other Pacific — symbolizing the two theaters of the war.
Fifty-six smaller granite pillars adorned with two bronze wreaths form the oval shape of the memorial and encircle a sunken plaza and pool. The pillars represent each state and territory from that period, and the District of Columbia.
The $174 million project is the culmination of years of arm-twisting and fund raising by veterans, including former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole. From schoolchildren to corporations, more than $195 million was raised. The remaining money will be put in a trust fund for future use.
The dedication next month is expected to draw a big crowd. Some 117,000 free tickets were snapped up in a matter of weeks, and there's a waiting list with 50,000 names on it.
President Bush (news - web sites) and all the living former presidents have been invited to the event.
The Smithsonian Institution (news - web sites) is planning four days of festivities on the National Mall to coincide with the May 29 dedication ceremony.
"We certainly think this could be the largest gathering of World War II veterans in one place since war ended in 1945," said Jim Deutsch, program curator for the National World War II Reunion.
At the "Tribute to a Generation," there will be two stages playing music from the 1940s from the Ink Spots, the Artie Shaw Orchestra and others.
Eight tents will cover four blocks along the Mall. In one tent, veterans can reunite with old comrades. And under another, veterans will share their stories and experiences. Dole and former Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. George McGovern are among those expected to speak.
"What we're interested in learning about is what World War II meant to members of this generation," Deutsch said.
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On the Net: World War II Memorial: http://www.wwiimemorial.com
Smithsonian's Tribute to a Generation: http://www.folklife.si.edu
I'd love to be there for the dedication, but I'll be on my way to Normandy.
Look at my profile for a little of my history..Before I went into service I was helping build B-17s and DB-7s at Boeing in Seattle
My point was, I didn't know any details, until I found them on the Registry. The Registry info led me to his Bomb Group web site and I was able to obtain a lot of additional information. For instance, he was killed on the 353rd mission of his Group, which had only 11 more before the war ended. He was killed in a mid-air collision. Two B-17's were lost.
Hang out some on Dimensional Door thread
It looks beautiful.
It's time to leave the Mall alone. There are other worthy options for new museums and memorials. The Anacostia Riverfront is being redeveloped; South Capitol Street could be turned into another grand approach avenue; the ridge overlooking the river from Anacostia could be exploited, especially since the St. Elizabeth's site needs to be recycled; North Capitol Street, which was ruined by turning it into a commuter sewer, could be reclaimed; the Stadium-Armory complex could be turned into a splendid Eastern Gateway, large enough to house quite an attractive riverfront museum/memorial complex of its own. Looking ahead a hundred years, D.C. needs to intelligently disperse some of the tourist attractions rather than just mindlessly packing more and more onto an already congested Mall.
One good thing about the new memorials, however, is that they're generally quite bikeable thanks to modern design for wheelchair access. The FDR memorial, right off the Tidal Basin, is especially nice to peddle through about 6 in the morning when no one is there. The Mall makes a great jogging/biking course in the early morning hours before the tourists arrive; you go past all the great old memorials but right through the new ones.
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