and Sacrifices of
Offering Resources to Commemorating Illinois Veterans of WWII
NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION for the WWII ILLINOIS VETERANS MEMORIAL
ABOUT THE WWII ILLINOIS VETERANS MEMORIAL
History and pictures of the WWII Illinois Veterans Memorial.
ILLINOIS VETERAN'S CLASSROOM PROJECT
Since 2008, nearly 1000 veterans personal, digital stories have been captured and 400 submitted to the US Library of Congress.
Review or Submit VETERAN'S STORIES
Over 200 WWII veteran's stories have been submitted by veterans or family members. Please read further to see how to submit your veteran's personal military service narrative.
Welcome!
Welcome to the official website of the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial located at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. This website contains:
- Historical information about the WWII Illinois Veterans Memorial
- Narrative stories and memories submitted by Illinois WWII Veterans
- Veterans’ digital interviews and photos collected by the Illinois WWII Classroom Project students from WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and other conflicts
- Information on how to purchase commemorative bricks
- Information on how to donate to support the maintenance of the memorial, scholarship program, and other projects of the WWII Illinois Veterans Memorial.
The Memorial was constructed to honor the 987,000 men and women from the State of Illinois who served our country during World War II and the 22,000 Illinois veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and liberty for humanity. The dream of the original committee was realized on December 4, 2004, by the dedication of a $1.5 million memorial.
The granite and concrete structure designed by Isaksen-Glerum Architects of Urbana, Illinois has a 12 ft. white concrete centerpiece globe which signifies the global perspective of WWII. Sculpted by artist Dan Nardi from Normal, Illinois, the globe has buttons that signify various strategic and major battles of both the European and Pacific Theatres. The buttons have notations that refer visitors to descriptions of battles which are depicted on each of two granite walls. These two, 4 foot high by 24 foot long, granite walls extend west from either side of the globe. Within the engraved granite walls also are quotes from WWII renowned political and military figures. Within the central plaza of the memorial are places for 3700. 8” x 5” engraved granite bricks. Presently, the memorial has nearly 2400 commemorative bricks installed. Each brick is engraved with name, branch, rank, and service dates of an Illinois WWII Veteran. A pictorial history of the building of the memorial can be viewed here .
The mission of the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial Board is to ensure that the Memorial continues to represent the spirit of the WWII veterans and the greatest generation by maintaining the structural integrity as well as the surrounding landscape of the Memorial site. .
Not-for-Profit organization Information
The was founded in 1999 and in 2000, was chartered as a not-for-profit organization (501-c 3). The World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial Association was incorporated as a Not-For-Profit Corporation on Feb. 22, 2000, followed by registrations with the County Recorder of Deeds, Illinois Attorney General, IRS Employer ID number, and the 501(C) (3) tax exemption. We have completed the necessary legal requirements to solicit and accept donations. An Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation - Official Tax ID: 37-1396248. All donations to the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial Association are tax-deductible by law. Donations can be accomplished in two ways through the purchase of a commemorative brick honoring an Illinois WWII Veteran or through a monetary donation. Commemorative Bricks purchases start at $300 for an individual or with corporate bricks ranging in price from $500 to $2500. These bricks are then inlayed the Memorial Plaza and walkways along the granite walls. (See DONATIONS for further information.)
