Home  •   Search  •   Newsletter/Archive  •   Contact Us   

Genesis of the WWII Memorial

By John R. Graves
cpljohngraves@juno.com
Chairman
WWII Veterans To Save Our Mall

The WWII Memorial was an accident!

Cpl. John Graves

Since WWII there had been no demand by any Veteran units for yet another WWII Memorial anywhere. Most every town and village already had a small flower plot with a flag pole, or there was an old cannon on practically every County Court House lawn, with a roster of names. Those of us who returned were awarded a cash bonus by most states, and there was the G.I. Bill of Rights.

In Washington many years passed before the Marine and Navy Memorials were built; the Air Force is now building one; and approaching Arlington Cemetery there are Memorials to the Women, Seabees, Paratroopers, Tankers, etc.

Indeed, the controversial WWII Memorial on the Mall started as an accident. Representative Marcy Kaptor, (D-OH) simply had reacted to the question of a constituent: "Where is the WWII Memorial"? She introduced a House Resolution and after House and Senate legislative procedures, $26 million of taxpayer funds were appropriated, and Public Law 103-32 was signed by President Clinton, May 25, 1993. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMQ was designated as the official sponsor.

From there professional Veterans' groups and career military joined the team. The fund-raising and promotion would be led by former Senator Bob Dole. Hollywood producer Steven Spielberg recruited the young actor Tom Hanks to raise funds. Who could oppose such a worthy enterprise? With all the power of the political and military lobby behind it, this project was well "greased".

"We must get this built before the WWII Veterans die," became their vapid battle cry. So, why did they wait 50 years? Because it was not their idea! It was a political accident, absolutely. But they are not building it for "Us". We were there. We were concerned about the public reaction 100 years hence. This Memorial in the very heart of our National Mall is a tragic indelible mistake. The original cost was to be only $56 million, but is now well over $170 million (but of course these folks thrive on cost overruns). They tried to keep the figures secret, which is their nature, but we knew it was public information, however it became necessary for us to obtain a court order to force them to make those figures public.

This costly, grotesque, improperly located intrusion, coupled with its geological problems, is a legacy we WWII Veterans do not want! Moreover, their 15 feet excavation, far below water table level, will necessitate a 24/7 sophisticated and costly hi-tech pumping system, discharging arsenic contaminated water into the Potomac!

The inexorable result will lower the water table around the base of the Washington Monument?which could result in foundation failure! Alarming!! But they had been warned about the unstable clay soil there. In 1973 and 1984 engineers reported Monument settlement resulting from the 10-foot to 15-foot lowering of the water table in construction several blocks away. The WWII Memorial is about 200 yards away! Once it's done, it's too late. You cannot "unring" a bell.

This memorial has no message, with only two visible words: "Atlantic and Pacific." They claim it memorializes all who sacrificed in WWII. Where is the tribute to "Rosie the Riveter?"

A memorial that must be explained is not a memorial. It has done little more than enrich their chosen architects and contractors. Every architect wants to design a Taj Mahal, and here was the convenient drawing board -- a friendly client, unlimited budget, in the heart of our Nation's Capital, all draped in red, white and blue. It was like an endowment from the Rhode Island School of Design. Stamped with the imprimatur of the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), National Capitol Planning Commission (NCPC) and the eminent protector of our nation's treasures, the National Park Service (NPS).

Forget about President Reagan's 1986 Commemorative Works Act (CWA). It was "Charge!" -- condemn the critics and rev up the bulldozers.

The proponents of this project had arbitrarily decided to put a 7.4 acre eyesore right in the heart of our National Mall -- officially on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial! That is when Dr. Judy Scott Feldman founded the National Coalition to Save Our Mall. Our crusade began that lonely day on the Mall -- D-Day 2000 -- when with no budget, we filmed our 30-second TV ad.

With limited distribution, it suddenly became news. The floodgates opened and our ranks began to grow nationwide. We were buttressed by literally thousands of WWII Veterans who responded. They supported the WWII Memorial concept, but NOT in that location! The solution could have been simple. The proponents could have moved the Memorial back to their original chosen site -- and ours -- just 151 yards north -- still on the Mall -- an appropriate site that respects the central panel of the Mall. That would cost much less, then with the surplus we could build a planned Museum near the entrance to Arlington Cemetery on available spacedesignated by the NCPC. There we could empty our Foot Lockers to educate the public with the real, true history about WWII.

Their powerful juggernaut pushed the project through various commissions with unfair "public" hearings, i.e. proponents spoke first with unlimited time, while we, the opposition, were gaveled down after 3 minutes! Their predilections were a charade. Nevertheless, we were gaining strength, the public had begun to favor our proposal. They paid $90,000 for a full page ad in The New York Times, while the Times opposed the project on their editorial page.

Over $25 million of the contributions were spent on publicity and promotion. All major media opposed it. We appealed their decisions to the Courts where we were represented by dedicated and competent counsel. Consequently, their powerful, well financed "shock troops" went into action on Capitol Hill. It was their youthful "brass," not aging WWII veterans, who stalked the halls of the Congress.

With lightning speed, in the late afternoon, under theSuspension of the Rules Procedure -- legal, but somewhat unfair for our humble ranks or causes with no political clout or budget -- the House and Senate hastily passed legislation to immediately, without provisions, begin construction of the WWII Memorial in the heart of the Mall. It was called Public Law 107-11! It summarily nullified all commission hearings, past and future, and our pending Court plea for a Writ of Certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court. So much for Judicial Review.

Our weak voices had been silenced. Throughout the controversy, we were labeled as "malcontents;" any form of opposition to the location and design was immediately and publicly branded "unpatriotic" -- a timely tactic. Disagreement is not disloyalty! We are not renegades. We are a National Coalition of distinguished citizens, scholars, clergy, architects, engineers, academics, historians, attorneys and, above all, many thousands of WWII Combat Veterans who, ironically are the rank and file of the proponents' organizations!

We are all volunteers, granted 501c3 status by the IRS. Combat soldiers think differently, we are the "citizen soldier" who answered the "call' of our Nation.

The greatest danger to our Mall is the deplorable precedent, which will trigger an inexorable demand to invade our Mall. Congressional Resolutions already call for monuments to Ronald Reagan and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I want one for Harry Truman. Then there will be Elvis, John Wayne, Bob Hope. In no time our Mall might resemble a cemetery!

In our Veterans' Cemeteries overseas the ABMC has done a magnificent job in the architecture and site selection. The pastoral settings, providing a stone silence, are so beautiful and tranquil, the statuary, the landscape. The contemplative ambience is good for your blood pressure. It's great therapy. I have visited many.

But the heart of our National Mall is not a cemetery reflecting the Germanic/Austrian philosophy of the architect! The uncommon valor of our fighting men in the mud and blood can never be portrayed by deMille or Spielberg, nor can the ink of Brokaw or Ambrose describe it graphically. But, above all, no architect, however heavily endowed, can enshrine in granite that invincible American Spirit.

The human sinew, talent, economic strength and patriotic determination of America joined with her Allies to purge our Planet of the scourge of the satanic Axis powers that had plundered and imperiled six continents. As the War Bond ad portrayed: America literally rolled up her sleeves and went to work. That Detroit War Plant -- the "Arsenal of Democracy" -- was making bath tubs and in four weeks those presses and fixtures were converted to forming wing sections for the Army Corps war planes.

That American spirit is not visible in this memorial!That 2 mile stretch of beautiful green extending from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial has been virtually untouched since the Lincoln Memorial dedication in 1922. Our Founding Fathers envisioned this Mall as America's "Front Yard," and all it needs is a lawn mower!

Preservation of this sacred treasure is the dedicated goal of our Coalition. As Dr. Feldman stated: "Our National Mall, everyone should be there, but in person, not in stone..."The zeal of the proponents to foist this intrusive defacement into the very heart of our National Mall overshadowed one poignant human element: they failed to memorialize the Missing In Action (MIA) from WW II. There are 78,773! We feel that we speak for those silent souls. We hear no other voice.

Back to the top

Copyright © 2004 National Coalition to Save Our Mall Inc. All Rights Reserved