Protesters fight Air Force memorial
     ARLINGTON, Va. (September 19, 1997 02:21 a.m. EDT) -- Comparing
 it to a house without a zoning permit, protesters say the future of
 the Air Force memorial remains uncertain despite a dedication
 ceremony.
     Earlier this week, a neighborhood group and a New York congress-
 man asked a federal court for an injunction to stop the memorial.
 Protesters say its proximity to the Iwo Jima Memorial -- about 500
 feet -- ruins the sanctity of the Marine Corps monument.
     "To me, it's hallowed ground," said Herbert Newman, 71, a retired
 Marine who served at Iwo Jima. "All you have to do is open the door,
 and they would be putting monuments all over this place."
     "None of us are against an Air Force Memorial -- just not here,"
 he said.
     U.S. District Judge Albert V. Bryan in Alexandria denied the
 request Wednesday to halt the placing of a small marble marker stat-
 ing the site was the future home of an Air Force memorial. Bryan
 decided to wait and collect more information, allowing the dedi-
 cation to take place as scheduled Thursday, on the Air Force's 50th
 anniversary.
     The ceremony capped a five-year effort to recognize airmen for
 their service. The monument site is just across the Potomac River
 from the nation's capital and next to Arlington National Cemetery.
 Shaped like a star, the three-dimensional aluminum structure would
 stand 50 feet above the ground near the site of the first military
 test flight.
     "There is no doubt this is long overdue," Air Force Secretary
 Sheila Widnall said. "We will be able to look to the heavens and
 remember past sacrifices."
     Memorial organizers and other Air Force officials said the
 project -- targeted for completion in 2000 -- sets the tone for
 America's future dominance in aviation and defense.
     "This is a memorial not only to a golden legacy, but more
 importantly to a boundless future," said Gen. Ralph Eberhart, the
 Air Force's acting chief of staff.
     About half the money has been raised for the $25 million memor-
 ial, which will include a below-ground exhibit center chronicling
 the history of America's youngest military service.
     Dedications aside, opponents say they will continue their cam-
 paign against the project and await the court's decision. Rep.
 Gerald Solomon, R-N.Y., also has introduced a bill to prevent the
 Air Force memorial, or any other, from being built on the site.
     "We don't want to mar the Air Force celebration, but we feel
 we have a compelling case for the court," said Bill Teator,
 Solomon's press secretary.
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  "Stupid is, as stupid does."  Forrest Gump
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