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Washington's World War I Memorial

The World War I Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Noah Adams, NPR
The World War I Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The new World War II Memorial was formally dedicated this past weekend, welcoming thousands of veterans to the National Mall. It honors those who served in the Second World War, as well as the workers and families who supported the war at home. But the new addition also has a little-known neighbor: a memorial to those who served in World War I.

The monument is an unobtrusive structure, a dome over a circle of Doric columns. It opened in 1931, built by Washington, D.C., to commemorate the sacrifice made locally to support the war effort.

According to the Veterans Administration, there are fewer than 200 veterans of the Great War still alive today. Historians say their average age is 103-104 years old.

NPR's Noah Adams reports on the site and its history.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Noah Adams, long-time co-host of NPR's All Things Considered, brings more than three decades of radio experience to his current job as a contributing correspondent for NPR's National Desk., focusing on the low-wage workforce, farm issues, and the Katrina aftermath. Now based in Ohio, he travels extensively for his reporting assignments, a position he's held since 2003.