Knoxville — Memorial Day is a time to remember those who died for their country, and many memorials to those sacrifices can be seen around the United States. And more memorials are being planned and financed all the time.
A University of Tennessee history professor said Monday that the current phase of monument-building may be reaching its peak in the next few years.
“I think we’re going away from memorial-making because the World War II generation is now in their 70s and 80s, and is passing away,” said Dr. Kurt Piehler.
“This generation had been somewhat reluctant to put up monuments, but their children and grandchildren are realizing that their sacrifices need to be remembered and signified with monuments,” Piehler said.
Piehler said that monument-building seems to come in phases.
“The most recent wave of memorial-making was immediately after the first World War,” Piehler said. “Before that, the years following the American Civil War were filled with monument-creation projects.”
More drawings and architectural plans for the World War II monument were recently released. Former U.S. Senator Bob Dole is spearheading the fundraising effort for the memorial.