The World War II Memorial

Undeniably, the monuments are one of the coolest parts of being in Washington, D.C. For someone who loves history, like me, the opportunity to visit the monuments more than once so I can read and see everything again and again is so awesome! My favorite experiences here, so far, have both happened at the World War II Memorial on monumental holidays (no pun intended).

I went for a run the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend when I ran directly into what I presumed to be a large crowd of tourists. However, I quickly realized that this huge crowd was gathered to watch Honor Flight veterans enter their memorial. I stopped to watch and ended up staying at the World War II Memorial for an hour. I had the opportunity to personally thank these brave men and women (the ladies pictured below!) for their sacrifices. One of the Honor Flight volunteers told me that World War II veterans often feel as if they have been forgotten because their war was so long ago so meeting people at their memorial is moving for them. I think that I was equally moved. I burst into tears multiple times while speaking to the veterans. I finally pulled it together towards the end, but I will carry that experience with me forever.

These are two of the veterans that I met Memorial Day Weekend.  On the right is Ruth who was a Navy secretary in Florida. On the left is Mary who used to fuel planes and spin propellers before takeoff. 

I took another trip to the World War II Memorial this past Friday, June 6^th, the 70^th anniversary of the allied invasion at Normandy. I was unable to attend the wreath laying that morning, but it was so awesome to see the wreaths from so many different countries that American forces allied with at Normandy and liberated as they moved through Western Europe. After looking at the wreaths I continued walking around the memorial and soon found myself in front of General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s words for the troops that played over the radio as they crossed the English Channel. It was surreal to be reading those insightful words on the anniversary of the day they became famous. I cannot even begin to imagine what those soldiers thought and experienced that day when they changed the tide of WW2 and the course of the world.

This is the part of the WW2 Memorial that commemorates
D-Day with General Eisenhower's words for the troops en route to Normandy.

The wreaths from all over the world on June 6th, 2014, the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

I plan on taking multiple trips to all of the memorials and would encourage anyone in the city for a long duration of time to do so as well! Even more importantly, no matter where you live, thank a veteran today and every day for their service, because freedom isn't free! 

Tori Mahoney