WWII memorial dedication, May 29 2004, Brian
From MemoryArchive
Who: Brian What: Dedication of WWII Memorial When: May 29 2004 Where: Washington DCI attended the dedication of the national WWII memeorial. The event was attended by President Bush (43), Bob Dole,the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many other senior political and military personellThe event had several speeches including one by the President and another by Tom Hanks. The dedication lasted two hours, and was held on the mall between the WWII memorial and the Washington monument. The memorial took over five years to construct and was built on the old Rainbow pool between the Lincoln memorial’s reflecting pool and the Washington monument.
It seems impossible that there was not a memorial before this point in time. As I looked around I noticed a lot of WWII veterans. I am currently in the military and seeing all of these old men smiling and reminiscing made me feel like I am doing the right thing. While I was born more than thirty years after the Second World War I still feel that I have a bond with these old men. When they saw me their eyes lit up, some saluted others just smiled. It seemed that these men, when looking back on their life really enjoyed their short time in the military. If I can look back thirty years from now and be proud of my service than it is worth the sacrifices.
