WASHINGTON, D.C. – Francis “Red” Therrien had been looking forward to the dedication of the World War II Memorial for months.

It was everything he expected – and more.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” said the sailor who served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war. “Everything fell into place. It is an honor to be here.”

The Livermore Falls man wasn’t alone in his feelings.

The 44 World War II veterans from western Maine who attended the ceremony came away with even more than they had expected. And although most wouldn’t admit to emotion, they said the ceremony, with speeches by former Sen. Bob Dole, actor Tom Hanks and newscaster Tom Brokaw, touched them deeply.

“It brought me back,” said Lucien Arsenault, a Navy veteran who now lives in Mexico. “I lost friends back home and I got to thinking about all that. This was more than expected. It was fabulous.”

George Mosher of Wilton, retired from the U.S. Navy, served in both World War II and Korea. He said the ceremony reminded him of his war days when he carried stretchers bearing the wounded and the dead.

Ann Richardson, a WWII nurse from Rumford, remembered the hospital train on which she cared for wounded American soldiers and German prisoners of war.

Long overdue

As memories were awakened, thousands listened to military bands perform Big Band sounds and watched dancers do the jitterbug. The Washington Monument stood behind the crowd that sprawled all along the National Mall.

Only a bit of the World War II monument could be seen behind the stage where President George W. Bush sat with former presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton.

Most veterans said they were glad they were finally recognized for their sacrifices, for leaving families behind to fight in what many have termed the “good war.”

For the 5 million WWII veterans still living, the dedication of the monument was long overdue. More than 16 million Americans went to war between 1941 and 1945. About 405,000 Americans lost their lives.

“They most deserved this moment of dedication,” said Retired Gen. P.X. Kelley, U.S. Marine Corps.

Robert Bean Sr. of Farmington, an Army anti-aircraft artillery serviceman from 1943 to 1946, said the dedication was like a closure of something that started 60 years ago.

“Maybe this would be the finish,” he said as his son, Robert Bean Jr., a Vietnam veteran, helped him into the bus. “It doesn’t seem possible that there has been a whole lifetime in between,” the elder Bean said.

Tech Sgt. Rudy Champagne of Augusta earned four Purple Hearts for fighting in the Pacific from 1941 to 1945. He was dressed in his original uniform for this most important event.

“I knew that someday they would recognize us for what we did. I wanted to be here for that recognition,” he said.

Although tears sprang into the eyes of many of the veterans and the sons and daughters who accompanied them, they agreed it was a tremendous event.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Arsenault said.