The National World War II Memorial consists of 56 seventeen-foot tall pillars arranged in a semi-circle around a central fountain & plaza with two 43 foot tall arches on opposing sides. Each pillar is inscribed with the names of the then-48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each arch is inscribed with Atlantic and Pacific representing the two theaters of this war. Also a part of the memorial, Freedom Wall contains 4,000 gold-colored stars, one for each 100 American deaths incurred in the war.

The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004 and was dedicated one month later on May 29. It is located on 17th Street, between Constitution and Independence Avenues, and is flanked by the Washington Monument to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west. The National World War II Memorial has quickly become one of Washington's most visited memorials.