Kilroy Was Here - World War II Memorial - Washington, DC
Posted by: YoSam.
N 38° 53.348 W 077° 02.455
18S E 322989 N 4306453
There’s a hidden military meme engraved on the World War II Memorial. Actually, two of them.
Waymark Code: WM10JWC
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2019
Views: 19
County of mime: District of Columbia
Location of mimes: Atlantic and Pacific side of memorial
" Two engravings, marked “Kilroy Was Here” are tucked into corners of both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the memorial. This “signature” of the memorial confers a further “tip of the hat” to the generation that served in World War II. This catch phrase, popular with troops overseas which clearly denoted that “the Yanks were here.” ~ National Park Service
"A little comic relief really does work to calm the nerves and reduce tension. A welcome and a nod can make a new and frightening place seem for just one second a little less scary. For U.S. troops in WWII that welcome comic relief often came in the form of a beloved big nosed cartoon named Kilroy.
Kilroy, a Ziggy like cartoon peeking over a wall, told soldiers in caption that he had blazed the trail for them. They knew that their comrades had been there before them and it gave them a little boost before the proverbial shit was about to hit the fan.
"So who was Kilroy? Most sources and historians think that the origin of the tag was James J. Kilroy, a shipyard inspector. He was a riveter paid by the rivet. Workers marked their rivets with chalk, and Mr. Kilroy didn’t want anyone taking his credit so he marked his rivets with the statement “Kilroy was here”." ~ War History ONline