The stories of our country's involvement in World War II both on and off the battlefield are ones of sacrifice and service, hardship and injustice, fortitude and victory. The National Park Service shares these stories at multiple national park sites across the U.S and beyond, helping to honor the memories of those years.
World War II Parks
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Eye on the AtlanticAcadia National ParkThe US Navy operated a radio station on Acadia National Park's Big Moose Island during World War II and into the Cold War.
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Battle for the AleutiansAleutian WWII National Historic AreaHonoring the occupation of two islands; a mass relocation of civilians; a 15-month air war; and one of the Pacific's deadliest battles.
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A PLACE TO REFLECTAmache National Historic SiteSite of the Camp Amache (Granada Relocation Center), one of the ten camps where people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during WWII.
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5,204 names of honorAmerican Memorial ParkThis 133-acre park honors the American and Marianas people who gave their lives during the Marianas Campaign of WWII.
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Those Atomic PeopleBandelier National MonumentFrijoles Canyon Lodge and its cabins served as housing for Los Alamos scientists, technicians, and their families during the war.
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A Greyhound of the SeaBoston National Historical ParkTour the battle-hardened destroyer USS Cassin Young, one of the US Navy's famed "greyhounds of the sea".
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U-boats Attack!Cape Hatteras National SeashoreBy June 1942, German U-Boats had sunk 397 merchant vessels off the Cape Hatteras coast, earning the area the nickname "Torpedo Junction."
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Rest and RecreationCarlsbad Caverns National ParkAs part of the US military’s morale-building program, Hobbs Army Airfield sent 1,000 soldiers each month to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
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Basic Training School for SpiesCatoctin Mountain ParkOriginally a summer camp, Catoctin Mountain Park became the Basic Special Operations Training School for a new civilian intelligence agency.
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WWII Training and Recreation CampDenali National ParkDenali's rugged mountainous terrain was the ideal place for military training, testing, resting, and relaxing.
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QUIET STRENGTHDwight D. Eisenhower MemorialA 4-acre open air memorial that tells the story of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe and 34th US President.
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A Peaceful RetreatEisenhower National Historic SiteThe post-war home of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe and the 34th President of the US.
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The Home Front's Crusading SpiritEleanor Roosevelt National Historic SiteVisit the home of Eleanor Roosevelt, America's First Lady during WWII and a champion of women and the wartime home front.
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TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRYFort Monroe National MonumentRemembering the women who served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and as U.S. Army Nurses during WWII.
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VISION AND LEADERSHIPFranklin Delano Roosevelt MemorialThe memorial, situated along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, honors FDR and his legacy, including his leadership during the war years.
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Defending Land, Sea, and AirGateway National Recreation AreaFloyd Bennett Field and Fort Hancock, located around New York Bay, were vital military centers for naval aviation and harbor defense.
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A Secret in Plain SightGeorge Washington Memorial ParkwayDuring World War II, Fort Hunt was the location of a top-secret military intelligence and POW interrogation facility known as P.O. Box 1142.
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Defending the HarborGolden Gate National Recreation AreaThe San Francisco Bay was of vital importance to the war effort. To protect it a coastal defense system was built around its Golden Gate.
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Radar Station in the PacificHaleakala National ParkThe many antennas and lights atop Haleakala's 'Red Hill' led the locals to call this WWII radar station 'Haleakala National Forest.'
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THE BUCK STOPS HEREHarry S Truman National Historic SiteVisit the home of Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, who ushered in the atomic age and ended World War II.
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Camps and Training FacilitiesHawaii Volcanoes National ParkKilauea Military Camp, established in 1916 as a recreation facility, was used as a Japanese confinement site and a POW camp during WWII.
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A refuge during WarHome of FDR National Historic SitePresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 'Home on the Hudson' offers insights into his thoughts and experiences during World War II.
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Hell ValleyHonouliuli National Historic SiteHonouliuli Internment Camp, for citizens, residents, and POWs, was the largest and longest-used confinement site in the Hawaiian Islands.
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COMMEMORATING PATRIOTISMJapanese American Memorial to PatriotismHonoring Japanese Americans who lived in incarceration camps as well as those who served in the US military during the war.
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ALIVE…NEED SMALL BOAT…KENNEDYJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy NHSExplore the birthplace of JFK to learn about his harrowing experiences as a World War II PT boat captain.
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Creating the Atomic BombManhattan Project NHPThe Manhattan Project, a World War II government research program, thrust humanity into the atomic age and changed the world.
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One camp - ten thousand livesManzanar National Historic SiteManzanar War Relocation Center was the first of the relocation camps built to incarcerate people of Japanese descent during WWII.
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Lessons in HistoryMinidoka National Historic SiteMinidoka was one of ten US Government War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps where people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during WWII.
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VICTORY STARTS HEREMojave National PreserveIn 1942, General George S. Patton established the US Army's Desert Training Center in the Mojave Desert.
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Cold Weather TrainingMount Rainier National ParkThe 10th Mountain Division tested the mettle of men and equipment and learned mountaineering skills at Mt. Rainier National Park.
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A VITAL LINKNational Park of American SamoaThe American Samoan Islands were an essential link in the chain of communications between the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
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Defending the Olympic PeninsulaOlympic National ParkOlympic National Park, located on the strategically important Olympic Peninsula, contained multiple coastal defenses during World War II.
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The Home FrontPaterson Great Falls NHPPaterson contributed significantly to the war effort during WWII and today is honored as an American World War II Heritage City.
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A Date That Will Live In InfamyPearl Harbor National MemorialThe National Memorial commemorates the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the US entry into World War II.
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KEEP 'EM FLYING!Point Reyes National SeashorePoint Reyes was home to multiple US Army Air Corps training camps as well as a US Navy lifeboat and training station.
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A Tragic Wartime AccidentPort Chicago Naval Magazine NMIn 1944, 320 men were instantly killed when two ships being loaded with ammunition exploded. It was WWII's worst home front disaster.
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A Training Camp for SpiesPrince William Forest ParkPrince William Forest Park's summer camp became the site of training camps for the OSS Special Operations and Communications Branches.
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Early WarningRedwood National and State ParksBuilt to look like a house on a working farm, Radar Station B-71 is a rare, surviving example of a WWII early warning radar station.
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United We Can Win!Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront NHPSharing the stories and honoring the efforts and sacrifices of American civilians on the World War II Home Front.
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Defending the CaribbeanSan Juan National Historic SiteDuring WWII, San Juan Military Reservation/Fort Brooke (Castillos El Morro and San Cristobel) was the main US garrison in the Caribbean.
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A MYSTERY IN THE FORESTSitka National Historical ParkEight WWII-era gun emplacements, part of the defense network for Sitka Sound, can still be found along the Totem Trail.
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She's A WOW!!Springfield Armory NHSDuring WWII Women Ordnance Workers (WOWs) worked at Springfield Armory making rifles and equipment desperately needed by Allied Forces.
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Resistance and RepressionTule Lake National MonumentTule Lake Segregation Center was the largest, longest occupied, and most repressive of the WRA confinement sites.
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Breaking Barriers with ValorTuskegee Airmen National Historic SiteLearn about the courageous and heroic actions that earned these African-American airmen respect in and out of the skies.
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IN HONOR AND MEMORYUnited States Marine Corps War MemorialThe memorial depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II and is dedicated to all Marines who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
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THE PACIFIC THEATERWar in the Pacific NHPCommemorates the bravery and sacrifice of those participating in the campaigns and battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II.
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THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSEThe White House and President's ParkThe official residence and workplace of Presidents' Roosevelt and Truman during World War II.
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Sands, in the Danger ZoneWhite Sands National ParkWhite Sands National Park sits in and around the nuclear test sites for the Manhattan Project, a government program to build an atomic bomb.
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Here We Mark the price of freedomWorld War II MemorialThe World War II Memorial recognizes the ways Americans served, honors those who fell, and recognizes the victory they achieved.
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A WWII Naval HospitalYosemite National ParkIn 1943, the “U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park, California” began welcoming veterans for medical care and recreation.
Last updated: October 29, 2024