War memorials stand as silent sentinels, holding memories of those who fought and fell in the tumultuous times of conflict. They are unique and special, serving as historical remembrances that bridge the past to the present. My husband, Chris, and I share a profound respect for these sites, particularly those dedicated to World War II.
These hallowed grounds often punctuate our travels. During the past eight years, we’ve visited several poignant memorials, museums, and cemeteries around the world.
The International War Museum Holocaust Exhibit, London, England The Holocaust Exhibit in London’s International War Museum was very poignant. The somberness inside did not allow any picture-taking, and we were pressed into silence to truly reflect on the displays and films. As we left the museum, a section of the Berlin Wall with the words “Change Your Life” spoke volumes to the reflections of the day.
Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand In Wellington, “The Scale of Our War,” the exhibition on Gallipoli that Peter Jackson built, created a visual platform to tell the awful story of World War I’s Gallipoli campaign. The life-like tall figures of eight New Zealand soldiers brought home, in an indelible way, the enormity of the sacrifices that the ANZAC made in the land-based offensive for a passage through the Dardanelles.
Bataan Death March Memorial Site and Concentration Camp, Capas, Philippines, this is the country’s tribute to the fallen of the Bataan Death March, a grim reminder of the cost of war. The walls at Camp O’Donnell carry in its roster the thousands of Filipino and American soldiers who went through this ordeal. The numbers are mind-boggling, with 74,800 Filipinos and 11,796 Americans among them, with many not even making it to Capas in the march.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC Offered as depth in the United States is the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. To our family, the visit was a moment of education, that the next generation understand the very worst of human history’s dark chapters.
These memorials, each with its own story, remind us of the human spirit, which has had to bear so much so that we might enjoy the freedoms that exist today. They are not merely stone and metal but represent courage, the enduring hope for peace.