After years of neglect, the unique World War I Memorial on the National Mall was rededicated Thursday.
The 1931 memorial to D.C. citizens killed in World War I had fallen in to disrepair until recently and was almost unnoticed near other war memorials built later.
D.C. leaders hope to renew interest in the memorial with concerts and rallies and other events to promote D.C. voting rights.
Thursday was a day to honor the almost 500 men and women whose names are inscribed on the walls uniquely, for 1931, not segregated by race or gender.
The memorial -- restored with $4 million in federal funds -- is expected to get new attention from tourists and others visiting the mall and the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial that sits just across Independence Avenue.
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