World War II Memorial Plaza

The World War II Memorial Plaza was created to honor all those who served so valiantly during the war and to provide posterity with knowledge about the compelling reason for the United States' involvement. The plaza is comprised of the Freedom Flame, the Wall of Memories, and the Iowa Pearl Harbor Memorial.

The centerpiece of the monument is the Freedom Flame, a fifty-foot-high stainless steel stylized flame. Around the flame's base is a map depicting the five major theaters of operation.

The Freedom Walk

Major events of the war are engraved in granite on the 100 foot walk leading to the Freedom Flame and the Wall of Memories, beginning with those events which led to the start of the actual fighting. Included near the beginning of the walk is the Pearl Harbor monument, previously constructed near its present location to honor the Iowa men and women who were stationed there when the Japanese attacked. It has been incorporated into the Freedom Walk and now serves as an impressive reminder of the event which brought the USA into the conflict.

Map of the World

A seventy-foot-in-diameter inlaid map of the world which forms the floor surrounding the Freedom Flame symbolizes the extent of the operations of our fighting men and women in WWII. It truly was a "world war". Colored maps showing the major battles of the war are mounted on concrete stands on either side of the floor map.

The Freedom Flame

Towering thirty-five feet into the sky is the dramatic centerpiece, a five-component stainless steel stylized sculpture of a flame. In the center is a perpendicular beam of light visible from more than a mile away at night, especially impressive when it shines against a cloudy sky. The sculptor is Thomas Stancliffe, professor of fine arts at the University of Northern Iowa.

The Wall of Memories

The 65 foot-long semicircular Wall of Memories serves as a fitting backdrop for the Freedom Flame and is the culmination of the Freedom Walk.

On the Wall's center panel are pictures of the nine Iowa servicemen who were awarded their country's highest honor, the Medal of Honor, during World War II.

On the surrounding panels are shown various reminders of the impact that the war had on service men and women, and on civilians at home - personal letters, newspaper articles, cartoons,. mementos and other memorabilia of the time .

The Wall of Memories stimulates Visitors to-reflect on the: human aspects of the war and to ponder the enormous effect of the conflict on the lives of all Iowans.

The US SubVets WWII Place of Honor

It will be here that the planned memorial to the fifty-two submarines and the men lost with them during the ravages of World War II in the Pacific war will be placed.