Queen visits veterans at WWII memorial

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Queen Elizabeth II met with World War II veterans yesterday in her final public appearance during a six-day visit to the United States that included a state dinner at the White House, a stop at the Kentucky Derby and a tour of Jamestown, Va.

Under a cloudless sky and bright sunshine, the queen arrived at the National World War II Memorial on the Mall to salutes from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as the Old Guard.

The 81-year-old queen, clad in a royal blue jacket and matching hat, was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, former President George Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush.

The group was guided around the memorial before presenting a wreath from Buckingham Palace with a card that read, "In Memory of the Glorious Dead."

Afterward, a drum roll sounded and a bugler played taps.

The queen then joined Mary Bomar, the British-born director of the National Park Service, for a walk around a fountain at the center of the memorial. They stopped to look at the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument before greeting veterans of World War II, some in wheelchairs.

It was the British monarch's first visit to the war memorial, which was dedicated in 2004. The queen, a teenage princess during World War II, served her country in the war as a driver in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army.

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Marjorie Gallun, who was sitting in the front row of about 100 veterans and guests, said she was honored to meet the queen.

"I just told her how happy we were to have her here, and she said she was happy to be here," said Mrs. Gallun, whose late husband also was a veteran of the war. "It's a special thrill for me because my grandparents came from England."

The royal couple were scheduled to fly home last night after hosting a dinner for President Bush and first lady Laura Bush at the home of David Manning, British ambassador to the United States.