More than 16 million Americans served in the military during World War II. More than 400,000 of them died. Our debt to them is incalculable.

We may argue today about the wisdom of the war in Iraq. There may be questions about why we are fighting or what our national goals are. We can be glad there were few such questions from 1941 through 1945.

What would have happened to our country and the rest of the world if the troops in World War II had not achieved a total victory? Can we imagine a world run by the regimes of Nazi Germany, Mussolini's Italy or imperial Japan?

The memorial to the World War II veterans dedicated this Memorial Day weekend in Washington is a long-overdue symbol of gratitude for the sacrifices made to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today. It was built with $174 million in private donations. That is fitting. The gratitude is more appropriate coming from the people than from the government.

There are arches at the north and south ends of the memorial, representing the two major theaters of the war. That, too, is fitting. Never before, or since, has there been conflict on such a global scale, and never before had American influence been exercised on a worldwide scale. Fifty-six pillars represent all the states and territories that were part of the nation during the war. There are 4,000 gold stars, each representing 1,000 American deaths in the conflict.

But the bronze eagles and granite pillars of the memorial, while impressive, can never convey the warmth we feel for those who served.

As noted in the "Soldier to Soldier" feature on the cover of today's Forum, these veterans exhibited a sense of duty and faith that cannot be forgotten or minimized. The battlefields of World War II are historical footnotes for most of us alive today. But to the veterans, places like Pearl Harbor, Bataan, Okinawa, Tarawa, the Bulge, Anzio, Normandy, Iwo Jima and hundreds of other sites are bits of horror frozen in time. The terror, deaths, wounds and incredible courage seen by those who survived such places stay with them forever.

Many memories of the war extend beyond the combat veterans. For the parents, wives and families of those who fought, for the volunteers and support personnel who bolstered those at the front, World War II brought a sense of unity and purpose to America that has not been seen since. This Memorial Day celebration honors that spirit as well.

Those who lived through World War II are now a passing generation. Hundreds of thousands of World War II veterans are on the Mall in Washington this weekend. In a few short years, such a gathering will no longer be possible. More than 380,000 of the United States' World War II veterans die every year. The obituary page of any city's newspaper, including this one, notes their dwindling numbers every day.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of these people left their homes to volunteer for service. Many others were drafted, but there was little of the bitterness over such a fate that the draft sparked in later wars. Many in this weekend's crowd at the Mall will be draftees, as proud of their service as the career military "lifers." Those who didn't see actual combat, but served stateside or in rear-area support units still speak proudly of their part in the war effort.

Details of these veterans' service are often unknown to us today. For the most part they made their sacrifices quietly, content to come home from war and resume "normal" lives. They built and businesses, and raised the baby boom generation. They fought for freedoms we mostly take for granted, and in the process they turned America into a superpower.

The purpose of the World War II Memorial is not to glorify the war. War is too horrible to glorify. Nor can any monument adequately pay tribute to those who have sacrificed themselves for others. The real tributes to those sacrifices are the free lives that we live today.

The true value of such a memorial is that it will stir memories long into the future. In days and years to come, people who see this monument should stop and wonder at the men and women it represents, and at the things they were willing to do. And they should be grateful.