War Memorials in Washington, D.C. (1174)

The World War II Memorial honours the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the United States, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. The memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice and commitment of the American people.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most visited National Park site in Washington, D.C. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial honours the sacrifice of the American military personnel during one of the country's least popular wars. By building this memorial, it was hoped that the issue of the personal sacrifice could be separated from the U.S. policy in the war. It was also hoped that the monument would help heal some of the emotional scars left by the war.

The monument was erected in 1982 due to the design of Maya Ying Lin of Athens, Ohio. She was an architecture student at Yale University. The black marble wall of the memorial is visited by thousands of veterans who come to honour their lost friends and family. The Statue of the Three Servicemen was added in 1984. In nine years the Vietnam Women's Memorial by sculptor Glenna Geodacre was added to represent the work of the women Vietnam veterans. A total of 57,939 names were originally inscribed on the walls of the memorial in 1982. Since then, as more has been learned about those lost in the war, more names have been added. Currently, there are 58,202 names inscribed in the black marble.