World War II Veterans' Memorial
Dedicated in December 2004
Honoring the 987,000 Illinois men and women who served in World War II and the 22,000 who gave their lives. This memorial draws the visitor's focus to a world globe which symbolizes the epic conflict which involved over 200 countries. Being 12-foot in diameter, the globe is made of cement and chipped white marble and is aesthetically pleasing. In raised relief, continents and oceans hold more than 70 steel buttons signifying major events of the war.
A base and wall made of granite surrounds the globe and provides seating for visitors. Engraved with the names of major battles and events of the war, two black granite walls extend about 100 feet out from the base of the memorial containing quotations from military leaders and Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. In the central plaza, granite bricks are engraved with the names of Illinois veterans who served in World War II. Of those veterans, there were twenty-one (21) received the Medal of Honor for their valor and their names are engraved on bricks within the foreground of the Memorial. There is a convenient kiosk on site to assist families in locating these engraved remembrances of their loved ones.
Commemorative bricks are also in the sidewalk in recognition of sponsoring businesses, clubs, schools and individuals who have offered support to the Memorial. Attractive landscaping enhances the beauty of this memorial which honors the lives and the contributions of those brave young men who served in the second global conflict of the 20th Century from 1941 to 1945.
