Why are the two arches marked Atlantic and Pacific?
During World War II, U.S. military forces fought on two separate theaters on opposite sides of the world. Navy ships zigzagged their way across the Atlantic to bring Army and Marine personnel to fight in Northern Africa and Europe against the Germans and the Italians. Likewise, Army, Navy, and Marine units fought a brutal island-hopping campaign across the Pacific against the Japanese. The Memorial honors their heroic success by listing the two theaters on the 43 foot tall towers as well as listing campaigns and some major battles around the fountains at the base of each.
