WASHINGTON - It was a gathering like no other. Under clear, sunny skies and with blessedly mild temperatures, thousands of World War II veterans proudly stood to receive the thanks of their country at the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall.

Fifty-nine years after the end of the war, which took the lives of 407,000 Americans in uniform and 50 million civilians around the world, President Bush said the memorial honoring an entire generation of Americans who showed the finest qualities of their nation and humanity will "stand as long as America itself."

Edward Allen, 80, of North Olmsted, Ohio, took his place in the sea of 117,000 folding chairs and as many as 30,000 more in unticketed areas. He was shot down over the North Sea and spent two years as a prisoner of war, freed on May 5, 1945. Yesterday, he said with tears in his eyes, "This is a wonderful country, with great, great people."

Wearing his "Barb-Wire Buckeyes" ex-POW jacket, he gazed at the towering water fountains, pavilions, pillars, and 4,000 gold stars - each representing 100 Americans who died - that constitute the $175 million memorial, built from the contributions of 600,000 Americans. "This is the biggest crowd of World War II veterans we'll ever see," he crowed.

After musicians played swing music from the big-band era, drawing some couples to their feet, after volunteers passed out thousands of bottles of water, after buses unloaded thousands of veterans and their families wearing blue laminated tickets around their necks as they went through security checkpoints and bought $7 turkey sandwiches, the speeches began.

He brought tears to many eyes as he called the dedication "our final reunion." He said, "What we dedicate today is not a memorial to war. Rather it is a tribute to the physical and moral courage that makes heroes out of farm and city boys, that inspires Americans of every generation to lay down their lives for people they'll never meet."

Former Kansas senator Bob Dole, 80, who lost most of the use of his right arm serving in Italy during World War II and was national chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign, joked that when he ran unsuccessfully for president in 1996, "I never had a crowd like this."

He reminded the audience that a new generation of Americans is now serving the cause of liberty for people they do not know in faraway lands.

From the time World War II veteran Roger Durbin of Toledo told U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) that there should be a World War II Memorial in Washington, it took 17 years to materialize. Mr. Durbin died in 2000, but his granddaughter, Melissa Growden, was on the podium with Miss Kaptur, the first speaker of the two-hour ceremony.

Miss Kaptur said soil from 16 cemeteries abroad and from Arlington National Cemetery was placed at the memorial site to sanctify it. "What a privilege it has been to carry this dream forward for 17 years," she exulted.

P.X. Kelley, the retired Marine Corps general who runs the American Battle Monuments Commission, which organized the dedication ceremony, said as he gazed out over the veterans, "It's one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen in our nation's capital. All I can think of is, 'God bless America.' "

There are only 4.2 million veterans left out of 16 million, and they are dying at an average of 1,058 a day. The veterans who were in Washington yesterday, some in wheelchairs or using canes, expressed gratitude for being there but also sorrow for comrades who died or were physically unable to come.

The memorial is long overdue, said many. Ray Sodden, who now serves in the Illinois state Senate and proudly wore his VFW Post 2149 hat, said his joy at being on the National Mall was tempered by the realization that many could not come. "I'm saddened for those who were not able to make it," he said.

Rolling Thunder, a group of motorcyclists who served in the Vietnam War and ride to Washington D.C. every Memorial Day weekend to prod the nation into remembering the missing in action and prisoners of war, mingled cheerfully and often emotionally with the World War II veterans. Their motto is: "All gave some; some gave all."

Steve Henderson, 56, of Columbus, and his best friend, Gary Mizer, also 56 from Lebanon, rode from Ohio through rain and wind for their fourth Memorial Day weekend in Washington. They said this year was special because of the dedication. "It's about time those in the real war got this memorial," Mr. Henderson said. "Just as our granite [the Vietnam Memorial, dedicated 20 years ago] means a lot to us, this memorial will mean a lot to them. But it's sad so many can't come."

NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, whose book, The Greatest Generation, has come to define the World War II era, told the veterans that some disagree with his term but he insists it is right because the World War II generation went through the Depression, fought the war, refused to take revenge but rebuilt Europe, and came home to turn America into a modern, prosperous nation.

Actor Tom Hanks, whose movie Saving Private Ryan gave many veterans the nudge they needed to begin talking about their war experiences, served as spokesman for the memorial campaign. Mr. Hanks said the nation must remember not just those who served and died, but all those who aided the warin whatever way they could. "It is no embellishment to say their lives were interrupted. Every minute of their youth was burdened with fear, loss, and uncertainty," Mr. Hanks said.

Mr. Bush, who officially accepted the memorial on behalf of the American people, said that raising the memorial took skill, vision, and patience and that "it is a fitting tribute, open and expansive like America, grand and enduring like the achievements we honor."

Mr. Bush said, "This was a people's war, and everyone was in it."

Mr. Bush lauded Franklin Roosevelt, the war-time president who directed the mammoth undertaking of preparing for war and then war itself because "his resolve was stronger than the will of any dictator. His belief in democracy was absolute."

Former Presidents Clinton and George H.W. Bush were on the dais but did not speak.

There were few dry eyes as Taps pierced the sudden silence and as opera singer Denyce Graves sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America." Overhead, Air Force planes flew the missing-man formation.

As veterans began streaming for their buses, many said they were especially thrilled and gratified by something Mr. Bush said: "They gave the best years of their lives to the greatest mission their country ever accepted. ... They saved our country and thereby saved the liberty of mankind."

Mr. Bush said that all over America on this Memorial Day weekend, the graves of those who perished in the war will be visited and decorated with flags and flowers. "Men whose step has slowed are thinking of boys they knew when they were boys together. And women who watched the train leave and the years pass can still see the handsome face of their young sweetheart. America will not forget them either."

"And now I ask every man and woman who saw and lived World War II, every member of that generation, to please rise, as you are able, and receive the thanks of our great nation."

Mr. Allen, the ex-prisoner of war who remembers World War II as if it were yesterday but has trouble remembering his age, looked over the sea of people and began to grow worried about the traffic jam at the ceremony's end. "Don't worry," said his son, Tom. "I'll take care of it. We'll be fine. Just enjoy your day."

Contact Ann McFeatters at: amcfeatters@nationalpress.com or 202-662-7071.

First Published May 30, 2004, 4:57 p.m.