The dedication of the Minnesota World War II Memorial took place on June 9, 2007. The event ran from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. It included a group picture of the assembled WWII Veterans at 1 pm and the official program began at 2 pm. Ever since the dedication event there has been a constant stream of visitors to the memorial.

• Information on MN WWII Memorial Dedication Medallions
  
  
• Facts about the Memorial and MN Veterans
  
  
• Symbolism of the Memorial
  
  
• Pictures, videos and other items

Minnesota WWII Memorial Dedication Medallions:

Each WWII Veteran that attended the dedication event received a medallion.

Facts about the Memorial and Minnesota Veterans in WWII:

• More than 326,000 Minnesotans of all races and religions served in the armed
  forces of the United States during World War II.
• More than 6, 000 gave their lives.
• Ten were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
• The construction of the WWII Memorial was authorized by the 2000 Legislature.
• The bill was authored by Representative Bernie Lieder and former Representative
  Irv Anderson, both WWII Veterans.
• The World War II Memorial plaza area includes approximately 12,000 square feet
  of colored concrete paving, 15,000 square feet of plain concrete paving.
• All of the granite used in the Memorial is “Mesabi Black” from Minnesota.
• There are 10 glass panels etched with scenes from World War II.
• Each panel is 3 feet wide by 8 feet tall.
• The trees planted around the Memorial are American Elm a new disease resistant
  variety.

Symbolism of the memorial:

The memorial is an open room within the Capitol Mall located just north of the Veterans
Services Building. The designers of the memorial wanted to bring the voices of
Minnesota Veterans to the heart of the State Capitol by expressing their journey through
the Second World War. A visitor to the memorial cannot help but experience World War
II’s history, tragedies and social repercussions.

As you move forward into the memorial, you will notice a granite decline leading to the
lowest point of the gently sloping plane across from this slope and rising toward the
Capitol, across a distance of more than 150 feet, is a gently rising incline. Representing
the passage of our nation through the Second World War, this rectangular plane is paved
with dark granite at its lowest portion, and rises to a bright green lawn at its highest point.

The form is symbolic of a hill rising from the depths of military struggle to eventual
victory. The two halves of the plane, one below ground and one above, also suggest the
movement of mighty forces, as if one piece of earth had been lifted whole, set down in a
new position, and changed just as profoundly as our world was changed by the passage of
WWII.

The quiet contemplative space of the descending slope reminds us of the depths of war
and the human struggle during the war, and is balanced by the sunlit, rising slope beyond.

At the center of the rectangular space and at the heart of the memorial is a map of
Minnesota. The map is surrounded by bronze stars honoring our state’s heroes.

Surrounding the rectangular slope is a series of ten vertical panels or windows anchored
in granite foundations. Reflecting from these etched panes of glass are symbolic images
and narratives revealing the Minnesota veteran’s journey through the war.

Symbolic arms of trees embrace the memorial as though protecting and honoring our
veterans lives. The new rose garden forms another layer embracing the memorial and is
symbolic of love and peace.

With its sentry like placement on the south-west lawn of the Capitol Mall the USS Ward
gun announces your arrival to the Memorial, just as that gun signaled that our nation was
at war when it fired the first shot at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day on December 7,
1941.

Pictures, videos and other information from the dedication event and the memorial:

• DVD Video of the MN WWII Memorial dedication. This DVD was produced by Seasons Remembered and includes photos, video and audio of the days events. It is a very well done DVD and will surely be something to treasure for years. It can be ordered from Seasons Remembered either via the attached form or on-line at www.seasonsremembered.org.
  
  
• Videos - Watch a videos of the dedication and ground breaking ceremony (August 14, 2005).
  
  
• Group Picture - Taken just after 1 pm on the top of the Veterans Services Building. Pictures show all the gathered Minnesota World War II Veterans for the event. Veterans that attended the dedication event can pick up a free one at their County Veterans Service Office in July.
  
  
• Pictures - Some pictures are available now, more to come soon.
  
  
• Pictures of the Panels
  
  
• Dedication flyer
  
  
• Invitation flyer
  
  
• Program Schedule
  
  
• General Vessey's Speech
  
  
• Governor Pawlenty's Speech
  
  
• Minnesota World War II List of Causalities
  

Other documents from the dedication event can be found here.