National World War II Memorial 10th Anniversary Commemoration
Saturday, May 24, 2014 ~ 10:00 a.m.
World War II Memorial
Washington, DC.

It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 10 years since thousands of World War II veterans gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC for the dedication of the National World War II Memorial. Thanks to the support and commitment of many, the Memorial now stands as a lasting reminder of the nation’s enduring gratitude to our “Greatest Generation” who – through sacrifice, valor, dedication, and determination – preserved our freedom, saved this nation, and literally saved the world.

Since its dedication in 2004, more than 40 million people have visited the Memorial. Unfortunately, we continue to lose our World War II veterans at a significant rate of 600 a day. Of the more than 16 million Americans who served during World War II, just over one million are still with us today.

Welcome Message from Ambassador Williams. I begin by saying that the WWII Memorial is today a wonderful success story. Since its dedication in 2004 it has been quietly taking its place as one of the nation’s historic icons on the National Mall with growing warm public acceptance and acclaim from all quarters and especially from WWII Veterans It is becoming in a way, Washington’s village square, the town green on the Mall, a place for silent solemn remembrance, a place to linger, to stroll, to talk, to listen, to share memory and meaning.

Nearly 59 years after the end of World War II, the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

The dedication of the Memorial was the culmination of an 11-year effort that started when the Memorial was authorized by Congress on May 25, 1993. Construction began September 4, 2001, after several years of fund raising and public hearings. The Memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004.

The dedication celebration spanned four days and included a WWII-themed reunion exhibition on the National Mall staged in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, a service of celebration and thanksgiving at the Washington National Cathedral, and an entertainment salute to WWII veterans from military performing units.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars with an oak leaf cluster. The Senator served as the Chairman of the National World War II Memorial fundraising campaign.

The first step in establishing the Memorial was the selection of an appropriate site. Congress provided legislative authority for siting the Memorial in the prime area of the national capital, known as Area I, which includes the National Mall. The National Park Service (NPS), the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission approved selection of the Rainbow Pool site at the east end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. President Clinton dedicated the Memorial site during a formal ceremony on Veterans Day 1995.

ABMC engaged the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service to act as its agent to manage the Memorial project. The design submitted by Friedrich St.Florian, an architect based in Providence, R.I., was selected as one of six semi-finalists in an open, national competition. Leo A Daly, an international architecture firm, assembled the winning team with St.Florian as the design architect.

The commissions approved the preliminary design in 1999, the final architectural design and several ancillary elements in 2000, granite selections in 2001, and sculpture and inscriptions in 2002 and 2003.

The Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the Memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world. It will inspire future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of what the World War II generation accomplished in securing freedom and democracy. Above all, the Memorial stands as an important symbol of American national unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and awesome power that can flow when a free people are at once united and bonded together in a common and just cause.

Construction began in September 2001. The Memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004. The Memorial became part of the National Park System on Nov. 1, 2004, when it was transferred from the ABMC to the NPS, which now operates and maintains the Memorial.

Paul Xavier Kelley is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, from July 1, 1983, to June 30, 1987. Kelley served 37 years active duty in the Marine Corps