Deferred but Lasting Gratitude

The American Legion's national headquarters surveyed its local posts and estimated that 160,000 World War II veterans planned to be in Washington for this weekend's festivities. But some might have stayed away from yesterday's crowded and tightly secured ceremony, said Joe March, a spokesman for the American Legion.

"We think that's a pretty close estimate," March said. "I know of no other event that's had so many World War II veterans come together in one place like this."

In addition to the ticketed guests, tens of thousands watched the proceedings from other parts of the Mall. Few spectators had a direct view of the stage, which was set up on 17th Street between Constitution and Independence avenues, just east of the memorial. Most saw simulcasts of the ceremony on large video screens.

Although the seating areas didn't open until 8 a.m., veterans were lining up at the security gates as early as 6:20 a.m., Glick said. Crowds continued to arrive steadily until about a half-hour before the 2 p.m. ceremony; some waited as much as a half-hour to pass through security checkpoints and metal detectors.

But in contrast to the staggered arrivals, almost everyone wanted to leave at the same time after the ceremony ended. Bottlenecks followed, and long waits commenced. Thousands lined up for shuttles to return to charter buses at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, resulting in waits of more than an hour. Several attendees -- many in wheelchairs -- said that their buses were not at their drop-off locations, which left them stranded and hoping to catch taxis or different shuttle buses to Metro stations.

"No buses have stopped here at all," said Linda Kus, who had been waiting for more than an hour after the ceremony with her father, Myles Bell, a World War II veteran from Mobile, Ala. "Everything has been fine until now."

Cathy Asato, a spokeswoman for Metro, said the long lines for its shuttle buses occurred because people left the ceremony at once and because there was more traffic congestion in the afternoon than in the morning.

Such headaches were minor compared with what organizers had envisioned as worst-case scenarios. Remembering that 500 members of the considerably smaller and younger crowd that gathered nine years ago for the Korean War Veterans Memorial's dedication were treated for heat exhaustion, planners staffed the Mall with scores of emergency medical personnel and physicians. Nine tents were equipped with cots, defibrillators and other medical supplies. But the weather gave them a break.

Alan Etter, spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, said that by 6:30 p.m., 110 people were treated on the Mall and at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, with 30 of them taken to hospitals. More than half the overall cases were related to heat exhaustion and the rest to slips and falls, he said. One of those treated -- a 93-year-old man who collapsed after complaining of trouble catching his breath -- seemed to fit Brokaw's characterization of a generation that returned "without whining or whimpering." Etter said that the man regained consciousness inside an ambulance, refused treatment, grabbed his cane and jumped out of the vehicle.

American Red Cross volunteer Marnie Dodson marveled at the World War II veterans who passed through her resting tent. "People are really in good shape," she said as she squeezed sunscreen into one veteran's hand. "They are a sturdy lot."

Earlier in the day, several hundred veterans, family members, congressional leaders and others gathered at Washington National Cathedral for an hour-long "Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving to God." The service, simulcast on screens on the Mall and at MCI Center, featured a tribute by former president Bush.

Bush asked for prayers not only for those who fought and died in World War II, but also for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The scope of World War II may have been greater, but the anxiety and the pain is no greater," he said.

The dedication ceremony marked the peak of a weekend of war-themed events on the Mall. A "National World War II Reunion" exposition organized by the Smithsonian Institution and the American Battle Monuments Commission continues today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event includes exhibits of World War II equipment, tents where veterans can plan reunions, music and public discussions from notable veterans. For a complete list of today's activities, visit www.folklife.si.edu.

Tomorrow, the first Memorial Day parade in Washington in more than 60 years will start at 8 a.m. at Third Street and Madison Drive on the Mall and end three hours later at Independence Avenue and 12th Street SW. The parade, intended to honor World War II veterans, will be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony and memorial service at 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns.

Staff writers Elaine Rivera, Jason Ukman, Bill Broadway, Manny Fernandez and Serge F. Kovaleski and staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.