Thursday Open Line


This date 10 years ago was the Saturday before Memorial Day, and thus appropriate for the dedication ceremony for the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Authorized in 1993, the memorial honoring the 16 million Americans who served in the global conflict, including the 400,000 dead, received nearly $2 million in donations and pledges, thanks in part to the efforts of actor Tom Hanks as spokesman for the memorial campaign. Currently, of the more than 21 million living veterans in the U.S., there are over 1.5 million from the Second World War, including some 113,000 that served in the Korean War as well. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.