From afar its purpose seems to be to mar the vista. From up close its purpose is less certain. The Memorial was dedicated on May 29, 2004—something of a tardy homage to the combat veterans of the war, who were by then mostly near eighty or dead. On the other hand, no mere shrine to combat bravery seems to be intended. According to the Web site that all persons, places, and things nowadays must have, “The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home . . . a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people.” In other words, a monument to showing up. The Memorial was designed by Friedrich St. Florian, who, just going by his name, sounds like a fellow that America has fought a couple of wars against, such as the French and Indian and World War II. Mr. St. Florian did his designing in the neoclassic idiom—if the classic orders of architecture are Dorky, Ironic, and Corny-inthian.
