WSAW - Honor Flight - Headlines

Honor Flight Web Exclusive: World War II Memorial

Print
By: John DesRivieres Email
Posted: Tue 4:42 PM, May 10, 2011

One of the main reasons the "Never Forgotten Honor Flight" organization was created, was to give World War II veterans the opportunity to visit the national memorial dedicated to the war they served in.

The world war 2 memorial opened to the public in 2004. It was created to remember the sacrifices that Americans made, both at home and abroad, during one of the most important times in our country's history.

The sprawling site is nearly 7.5 acres and sits in the National Mall in Washington D.C.

56 granite pillars and 2 granite arches surround a plaza and a large fountain.

Each pillar stands 17 feet tall and each is inscribed with the names of the 48 states in the union in 1945, along with the District of Columbia and 7 U.S. territories.

The 2 arches mark the north and south ends of the memorial and stand a massive 43 feet tall.

The north end is marked "Atlantic" and the south end is marked "Pacific", representing the oceans where many battles took place.

On the west side of the memorial is the Freedom Wall. There are 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans killed in the war.

Nearly 400 veterans from Wisconsin and Northern Michigan have been able to visit the memorial over the last year, thanks to the "Never Forgotten Honor Flight".


All comments must adhere to the WSAW.com discussion rules.
powered by Disqus
WSAW-TV 1114 Grand Ave. Wausau, WI 54403
Gray Television, Inc. - Copyright © 2002-2013 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability
User Agent: CCBot/2.0 - 121264254