When area veterans took the Triad Flight of Honor recently to Washington, D.C., they visited a lasting symbol of America’s military heritage which was largely made possible with Mount Airy granite.

“We furnished about half of the stone,” William Swift, the president and chief executive officer of North Carolina Granite Corp. at Flat Rock, said Friday of the World II Memorial located on the National Mall.

The veterans were flown to the capital free of charge to allow them an up-close look at the memorial honoring the 16 million people who served in the U.S. armed forces during the war and the 400,000 who died.

“It was a good-sized order for us,” Swift added of the granite supplied by the local company for the structure that was dedicated in 2004.

The company official recalls that the local corporation joint-ventured with other firms to supply materials for the massive memorial. North Carolina Granite Corp. quarried stone in both Mount Airy and Greene County, Ga., for the project.

In all the company supplied 2,100 tons — or 104 truckloads of granite — used for the memorial’s steps, pavers and coping around its Rainbow Pool.

Greene County granite was chosen for most of the paving stones in the main plaza.

The construction of the structure, the first national memorial dedicated to the U.S. commitment to World War II, had been authorized by President Bill Clinton in 1993.

Granite selections were conducted in 2001 and construction began in September of that year, made possible with nearly $200 million from a fund-raising campaign. The memorial became part of the National Park System in November 2004 after opening to the public seven months earlier.

“North Carolina Granite is proud to be a part of it,” said Swift, who has worked 24 years for the company. The memorial project is still frequently talked about today among personnel there due to its significance, Swift said.

In citing the structures North Carolina Granite has provided material for over the years on its Web site, the World War II Memorial tops the list. Among other projects, the Mount Airy company has supplied granite for the Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk and the Amoco World Headquarters in Chicago.

International recipients have included a temple in Thailand and the subway system in Singapore, and the company also has furnished granite for walkways and curbing in major cities.

Swift said that “classic white” Mount Airy granite is popular because of an elegant appearance that stands the test of time, which is well-suited to structures such as memorials.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.