Audiovisual Walking Tour Guides
One Ordinary Man Was Asked to Do the Impossible
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WWII MEMORIAL
The World War II Memorial does not commemorate a single battle or moment of sacrifice. Instead, it marks the scale of a conflict that reshaped the modern world and demanded total participation from a nation and its allies. Framed by pillars representing states and territories, anchored by vast fountains, and oriented toward both the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the memorial situates visitors within a war that was global, collective, and all-consuming. It honors not only those who fought, but the extraordinary breadth of effort required to prevail - military, industrial, and civilian - without reducing that complexity to triumph alone.
This immersive, self-guided audio-visual walking tour of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. can be experienced on-site or listened to from anywhere - allowing the story to unfold at your own pace.
Why the World War II Memorial Looks the Way It Does
The World War II Memorial was designed to convey the immense scale and shared burden of a global conflict. Rather than focusing on individual figures or single battles, the memorial is organized around fifty-six pillars representing U.S. states and territories, arranged in a broad arc that suggests both unity and collective responsibility. No one pillar stands above another. Together, they form a ring - symbolizing a nation and its allies bound by a common purpose.
Water and space play a central role in the memorial’s meaning. The twin fountains evoke both reflection and movement, while the wide plaza resists intimacy in favor of scope. This was a war that mobilized entire societies - factories and farms, soldiers and civilians - and the memorial’s openness reflects that totality. Visitors do not encounter World War II as a single story resolved in hindsight, but as an overwhelming, coordinated effort that required endurance on a scale difficult to comprehend.
A Self-Guided Audio-Visual Walking Experience Through One Act of Extraordinary Courage
Some histories are best understood through a single human choice. BARDEUM’s immersive audio-visual walking tour of the World War II Memorial uses the vast scale of the site to frame one remarkable true story - following the courage of Ben Salomon, a man whose actions in the Pacific theater embodied the sacrifice and resolve demanded of an entire generation.
As you move among the pillars and fountains, the memorial’s grandeur provides context rather than spectacle, allowing one individual’s decisions under fire to stand in sharp relief against the enormity of the war. The experience does not attempt to tell every story - but invites visitors to understand World War II through the life-and-death choices of one person who refused to abandon others, even at the cost of his own life.
EXPERIENCE THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL BY STEPPING INSIDE AN ACT OF COURAGE
In Field of Fire, bestselling author Gregory A. Freeman recounts the true story of an Army dentist who refused to abandon his wounded as enemy forces overran his position. When evacuation was no longer possible, Salomon manned a machine gun alone, holding back a Japanese banzai charge long enough for others to escape - knowing it would cost him his life.
Set against the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., this immersive BARDEUM experience places one individual’s final decision within the vast human cost of a global war. Salomon’s actions were not recognized with the Medal of Honor until decades later. His story is not one of glory, but of duty carried to its furthest limit - and of a courage that asked for nothing in return.
AVAILABLE ON YOUR PHONE. ANYWHERE YOU ARE.
DOWNLOAD THE BARDEUM APP TO BEGIN.
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GREGORY A.
FREEMAN
AUTHOR
Award Winning Journalist and author of compelling narrative nonfiction including The Forgotten 500.
DAN JOHN
MILLER
NARRATOR
An Audie award-winning voice-actor, Dan has been named a “Best Voice” by Audiofile magazine 5 years running. He has also had roles in Walk the Line and Leatherheads.
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