American Memorial Park
A memorial park in Saipan honoring those who died in the Pacific War.
American Memorial Park is located in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, on the island of Saipan. It is a park built to honor the American soldiers and local residents who lost their lives in the battles over the Mariana Islands during World War II. Set on a tropical seashore, it is a place that remembers a painful history while also reflecting on peace.
On the reverse of the coin is a young Chamorro woman standing at the “Flag Circle” and the “Court of Honor.” The Chamorro are the indigenous people who have long lived in the Mariana Islands and who have preserved the region’s history and culture.
The Flag Circle and the Court of Honor are spaces that honor the names of those sacrificed in the war. The image of the young woman standing there shows both the descendants who live on while remembering past sacrifices and the peaceful present of this land.
This park was designated on August 18, 1978, and conveys together the memory of war and the lives of the people of the Mariana Islands. In this way, the “America the Beautiful” series embraces even the Pacific territories far from the U.S. mainland.
Through this scene engraved on a single small coin, we come to see that the nation of America embraces the people and history of places all across the Pacific.