An Opening Into WWII
Friday, April 30, 2004; Page B09
The blue-sky day was bright enough to pull sparkles from both water and stone, and it drew thousands to the Mall for a vivid first glimpse of the National World War II Memorial.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m., the first visitors streamed into the memorial to get up-close views of all 7.4 acres -- the two 43-foot-tall arches, the 56 stone pillars, the fountains of the Rainbow Pool, the 4,000 sculptured stars, the waterfalls, the sculptures and the inscriptions.
Within hours of opening, the memorial had been incorporated into the city's tour bus routes. Joggers altered their routines to incorporate the new scenery into their noon-hour runs. Schoolchildren christened its fountains with tossed pennies. Veterans swapped stories and e-mail addresses. And by the end of the day, almost every visible surface had been photographed and videotaped by tourists who were fortunate enough to be among the first to set foot inside Washington's newest national landmark.
-- Monte Reel
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
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Morris Horwitz, 87, and his wife, Heather, 82, of Oakland, Calif., celebrate their 60th anniversary at the memorial. The two met and married while he, an Army Air Corps veteran of the Pacific theater, was in Australia.
(Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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