The Ceremonial Gardens are just behind and to the West of the Atlantic Pavillion. They were designed by James A. Van Sweden, the landscape architect for the Memorial. Until recently, the area always seemed either incomplete or in disrepair but today, the gardens looked perfect. It’s an overlooked and tranquil setting: a nice place to host
Jewel of the Mall: World War II Memorial is now available on the iBookstore! Its delivery was slightly delayed when we cleared our schedules to plan and install the WWII Memorial show at the Women’s Memorial. But that did allow us to feature the new show in the digital book! This digital edition contains all […]
Friends of the National World War II Memorial have joined the Women in Military Service For America Memorial in sponsoring the printing of the eighty-five images from my WWII Memorial project. The show is coming together and about ninety percent of the prints are in place. We are printing up the last ten percent and designing […]
The show of WWII Memorial images is entitled a “A Memorial Comes To Life” and the prints are almost all in place. The Women In Military Service To America Memorial is an extraordinary building both inside and out.
Several hundred people gathered at the WWII Memorial today to celebrate the 68th Anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day at the WWII Memorial. In attendance were the board of Directors of Friends of the WWII Memorial, reprsentatives Karen Curcurullo and Robin Owen of the National Park Service as well as an Honor Flight from Tucson Arizona. There was a moving re-enlistment ceremony and Holocaust survivors and WWII veterans placed wreaths in front of the Wall of Stars. The rains held off and in fact the weather was quite beautiful. The Memorial is a far better place with water than without. Great credit goes to Terry and the National Park Service for getting the fountains running.
A show of my images at the Women in Military Service to America Memorial on June 12, 2013 for at least six months. I am delighted! The museum is cradled into the main entrance of Arlington Memorial Cemetery and its beautifully lit interior is a photographer’s dream. The opening is 6-8 PM and everyone who’s […]
Rocky Mountain Honor Flight. March 22, 2013. A blustery beautiful Spring morning greeted the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight lead by Mary Haddon. Although we had been down to the Memorial several times in the last week, it was good to see the Memorial populated by its natural inhabitants: WWII veterans and a group of students from the Air Force Academy who had volunteered to act as guardians. And as usual, there were several surprises. As the veterans were just to get off the bus, high school students lined the walkway to applaud the veterans and as we were leaving, a high school band
Getting down to the WWII Memorial is always a treat. My first task, a request from furniture maker Jeffrey Jaskiewicz for an image he could use to adorn a rocking chair and so made a pan from the West side of the Memorial. I then wandered over to visit with the “usual suspects” and found George Kerestes […]
The trip with Chicago Honor Flight was amazing. 5000 people were at the airport to greet the veterans upon their return with bagpipes wailing, four marching bands, 1500 sailors, 700 motorcyclists and some two to three thousand family, friends and boy scouts,… . It was electric! Chicago really turns it on so I managed […]
200 Canton Akron (CAK) WWII Veterans and Guardians at the WWII Memorial hold aloft a banner which reads “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”. After twenty plus flights and five years of service, Honor Flight Akron Canton (Ohio) flew it’s last flight this September 22, 2012. The veterans and guardians posed in front of the WWII Memorial fountains to celebrate. […]
After a number of years, the reflecting pool is “reflecting” and we have our precious views restored to us. This was taken about 7 PM on Labor Day and crowds of people gathered just to admire the perfect view.
Lawton Wilkerson, one of the Tuskeegee Airman lead the Chicago Honor Flight ceremony today. One hundred WWII veterans visited the WWII Memorial today and were part of a ceremony which included a “lot of photography”. The photographic archives of Chicago’s Honor Flight are perhaps the most complete of all the Honor Flights. The images from […]
A “Wall of Honor” consisting of the faces of 1,945 men and women who served during World War II was unveiled at the National World War II Memorial on Saturday morning, August 11, to mark National Spirit of ’45 Day honoring the men and women who were the “ordinary heroes” of WWII. The “Wall” includes […]
Just when you feel you’ve taken every possible angle and image of the WWII Memorial (and I’ve made my share!), you stumble across another view. Yesterday, we were let out of the cab at the front of the Memorial and wandered into this area overlooking the Plaza. The images are available on the studio archive […]
Old Glory Honor Flight lead by Drew McDonald arrived yesterday with eighty veterans and as many guardians and family. It made for a nice set of pictures as several families flew in and surprised their Veteran at the Memorial. Temperatures were DC HOT but a strong breeze and lots of umbrellas kept everyone comfortable. The group flew last night to Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Experimental Aviation Association annual meet up. They were greeted by an estimated 20 to 30 thousand people.
He instilled a sense of patriotism and service in his children and whenever I look at this picture, I am moved. His name is inscribed behind the inspection plate on one of the eagles and when i am down there, I always think of him. He didn’t live to see the Memorial erected but he was an avid fan of construction and would have loved to watch the Memorial being put together. He was generous, adventuresome and never saw a situation that he didn’t make better. He also loved boats
Every three weeks, Honor Flight Chicago brings in four buses of veterans to visit their Memorial. Despite the fact that DC has “cooled off” from the 100 degree temperatures of last week, the 90 degree weather on Wednesday felt warm enough. However, Mother Nature is no rival for the energy and spirit of Honor Flight […]
Today, Senator Robert Dole received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Kansas. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little flew to DC for the day to present him with this honor. A select group of friends and colleagues were gathered to watch “the new Dr. Dole” receive this honor.
It’s been ten years since I began the WWII Memorial project and I am delighted
Faye Wisely was the first person I ever contacted about Honor Flight. No one was quite sure of how to go about accomplishing the task of moving all those vets. She pointed me to Earl Morse who was still working it out with Jeff Miller over the dinner table.
While visiting the WWII Memorial, a veteran from North West Ohio Honor Flight contemplates FDR’s words on Pearl Harbor. It is interesting that the religious right insists that Washingtonians omitted any reference to the creator as if we have nothing to do but remove text when in fact, the quote was at the end of […]
Mary Haddon of Rocky Mountain Honor Flight was at the WWII Memorial with about thirty veterans and their guardians. The weather was DC at its best and promised to continue for the weekend which is supposed to be jam-packed with flights. The veteran on the left was celebrating his 93rd birthday. You can see more […]
Jane Howitt began working with me a couple of months ago and studio productivity has skyrocketed. She oversaw the revision of the WWII Memorial book through its final stages and is now deep into the revision of the DC PHOTO BOOK. She is also working on a series of posters which we soon hope to […]
All the Honor Flight volunteers deserve great praise, ovations and a terrific Holiday Season. Through rain, delays, departures and hot and cold days, you have all participated in an extraordianary piece of American History! Congrats! Please find the attached information to reflect totals for the 2011 Flying Season: -Veterans Flown in 2011: 18,055 -Guardians Flown in […]