World War II Memorial

DC Pics.

My siblings and I, children of a WWII veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, have always felt very close to that war because our parents freely shared stories and their personal correspondence when my dad was serving overseas. I've wanted see this memorial in DC for quite some time, so I felt privileged to have the opportunity to visit yesterday.

The WWII Memorial is on 17th Street between Independence and Constitution avenues, in the same general area as all the war memorials. I think intentionally, each one has to be approached from several hundred yards away, so that some mental preparation is required during the walk.

The WWII Memorial appears as a stone gate in the distance, and the details are revealed with proximity. We approached on the Atlantic side of the memorial and almost immediately my eye caught the names of Wisconsin and Minnesota on the columns surrounding the pool of water below.

The scope of the memorial -- vast expanse of land, two oceans on either side of the pool representing Atlantic and Pacific theatres, a wall of stars memorializing 400,000 war dead, engraved quotations and tributes to the countries of the world participating in the allied victory -- underscores the amazing coordination of efforts and its tragic cost of war.

I remembered our visit to the American cemetery in Normandy about a decade ago. The atmosphere there was more solemn and much quieter, perhaps because it is a cemetery but also because the French are sticklers for protocol, and the memory of war is still fresh in the hearts of people who have vowed never to forget.

It was a gray day, but the rain held off until early afternoon. We spent a long time walking around and stayed to see the beginning of an honor guard ceremony for veterans of WWII. They arrived in buses with a police escort. Many, now in their very late 80s and 90s, used wheelchairs and canes, but a number of veterans walked solemnly toward the memorial, looking amazingly spry. Visitors applauded as they passed. Tears were shed.

Most memorable and touching: the devotion of the red-shirted escorts to the veterans they accompanied. Several men in their late thirties or early forties were clearly in charge, characterized by their commitment to honor our veterans.