World War 2 Memorial

The World War II Memorial is a monument located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. that honors the Americans who served in the armed forces and on the home front during World War II. It was opened to the public in 2004 and is one of the newest monuments in Washington, D.C.

The World War II Memorial consists of a central plaza surrounded by 56 granite pillars, each inscribed with the name of one of the 48 states in the union at the time, as well as the District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The central plaza features a large fountain and two arches, one representing the Atlantic and the other the Pacific theater of war.

The World War II Memorial is open to the public and offers visitors the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who served in the war. The monument also includes interpretive panels and inscriptions that provide historical context and honor the memory of those who served and sacrificed during the war.

The "here we mark the price of freedom" wall contains one star for every 100 US service personnel that died in World War 2 or remain missing.  A total of 4048 stars are reflected at night on the pool underneath the wall.