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Bush Signs Bill on World War II Monument
US President Bush honored America's veterans Monday with the Memorial Day signing of legislation to construct a World War II monument at a controversial site on the National Mall.
Addressing an audience of veterans in the yellow-curtained East Room, the president also announced creation of a task force that will recommend major reforms in delivery of health care to veterans and military retirees.
Standing in front of an American flag and a portrait of George Washington, the president said the monument between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial "will stand for the ages."
President Clinton formally dedicated the site in 1995, and in 1997 announced the winner from more than 400 entries in a design competition.
Planned for a 7.4-acre site in the heart of the Mall, a circle of granite pillars will represent the states and territories, and two four-story arches are to signify victory in Europe and Asia.
Sponsors say the actual monument will take up about one-third of the site and, including planning expenses from 1993 when Clinton signed a bill authorizing the memorial, will cost about $160 million. Some $150 million has been received in pledges for private donations, with the rest to come from federal funding and interest payments.
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