WWII Memorial transforming into a playground

You're not likely to see the World War II Memorial in Washington looking like this. The memorial has been transformed into a overcrowded wadding pool/water park by tacky tourists visiting the National Mall.

I went to the memorial yesterday. The weather was spectacular. However, the reverent vibe of the memorial that opened in 2004 has been replaced by a county fair-like atmosphere, where cotton candy-fed families seemingly don't grasp what it represents. They treat this memorial like other tourist attractions -- a place to let their kids run around while they try to search for some zany spot for a Kodak moment to show the folks back in Bugtussle.

Everything that the nearby Vietnam Memorial is the World War II Memorial isn't. The Vietnam wall remains a place for quiet reflection -- even tears. Its profound simplicity seems to attract a better grade of tourist. There is nothing to climb on, sit on or dangle your feet in. It is a thinking and feeling-man's attraction. It is well guarded by park police and those honoring the fallen.

There is nothing wrong with the World War II Memorial's design except for the fact that it attracts too many people for all the wrong reasons. Situated between the Lincoln and Washington monuments, it seems to serve as a rest stop for the juice-box, hot dog-eating crowd. A place to cool down in the fountains or to let the kids run around between the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. The prominence of its location and the concept of its design are magnificent. But unfortunately, the planners who conceived of the idea overlooked one thing -- human nature. Put a fountain in the middle of a serene structure and you're going to get certain families acting like they're at Disney World. Yes, there are signs that prohibit wading, climbing and so forth. But bad habits combined with temptation have a way of trumping rules.

On occasion, one might spot a veteran deep in thought at the World War II Memorial, but overall the intent of the memorial has failed because tourists can't seem to control their kids or themselves in what should be a solemn, quieter place -- a place like the Vietnam wall. I have been to this memorial a few times, and the atmosphere there has gotten progressively worse each time. I feel badly for the veterans of WWII who go to "their place" trying to soak in what most of us will never understand while families overrun the memorial like it's a Wet 'n' Wild attraction.

This monument is a cathedral. It should be treated as such. It represents history and extreme sacrifice. It should be respected as symbolic art and as a place to honor those who paid a severe price for their country. It's not a playground; not a place to be loud and obnoxious.