On this year's memorial day weekend thousands of veterans from the Second World War have gathered in Washington for the dedication of a monument to those who served in the conflict.
The new memorial stands at the center of the nation's capital with two tall granite arches representing the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of battle.Four thousand gold stars mark the more than 400-thousand American lives lost in the conflict. Below the stars an inscription reads, here we mark the price of freedom.
Organizers included medical tents at the ceremonies in case any of the aging veterans fell ill. More than one-thousand American veterans of World War Two die each day. Only about four-million of the 16 million veterans who served are still living.