thedrifter
09-16-06, 04:02 PM
Published on Saturday, September 16, 2006
Community pitches in to send 220 WWII veterans to Washington
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.
The Associated Press
For a day, they'll be treated like heroes again.
After a hurried fundraising campaign, 220 veterans of World War II from Henderson County will fly to Washington next weekend on a chartered jet to see the World War II Memorial, lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visit other memorials and landmarks.
Jeff Miller, a 52-year-old dry cleaner whose father served in the Navy during WWII and whose uncle died when his B-24 bomber was shot down over Europe in 1944, organized the drive to raise more than $100,000 to pay for the trip.
"I thought, "A lot of guys around here have never been there and won't get there. Why not charter a plane?'" Miller said.
The veterans who will take the trip range in age from their late 70s to 102. Organizers say few of them could make the eight-hour drive from Henderson County to Washington on their own and many could not afford a plane ticket to fly there.
So, next Saturday and Sunday, half of them will board a USAirways Boeing 737 about 9 a.m. and land at a priority gate at Reagan National Airport. They'll be greeted by active-duty Marines who will guide them through the airport and the city. Emergency medical technicians and other volunteers from Henderson County will also go along to watch over the veterans during the daylong trip.
A documentary crew from the North Carolina School of the Arts is also going along and will give a copy of its film to each of the men.
"This is a way for this community to honor Henderson County's own World War II heroes," said former Sheriff George Erwin Jr., who was recruited by Miller to lead the fundraising drive. "There are only about three and a half million World War II veterans left. Many have never seen their memorial. This is our way of telling them thanks."
The drive began on Memorial Day and ran through July Fourth. An American Legion post helped with a spaghetti dinner. Legionnaires collected money out in front of department stores. The local Community Foundation gave a grant. Schoolchildren and the Henderson County Boys and Girls Club chipped in, too.
Rick Livingston, a firefighter, is volunteering his time as a guardian and EMT. His father served in the Air Force.
"Both my parents taught my brother and I we should return something to the community," Livingston said. "It's an added incentive to be able to return something to those folks who did so much for this country."
Ellie
Community pitches in to send 220 WWII veterans to Washington
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.
The Associated Press
For a day, they'll be treated like heroes again.
After a hurried fundraising campaign, 220 veterans of World War II from Henderson County will fly to Washington next weekend on a chartered jet to see the World War II Memorial, lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visit other memorials and landmarks.
Jeff Miller, a 52-year-old dry cleaner whose father served in the Navy during WWII and whose uncle died when his B-24 bomber was shot down over Europe in 1944, organized the drive to raise more than $100,000 to pay for the trip.
"I thought, "A lot of guys around here have never been there and won't get there. Why not charter a plane?'" Miller said.
The veterans who will take the trip range in age from their late 70s to 102. Organizers say few of them could make the eight-hour drive from Henderson County to Washington on their own and many could not afford a plane ticket to fly there.
So, next Saturday and Sunday, half of them will board a USAirways Boeing 737 about 9 a.m. and land at a priority gate at Reagan National Airport. They'll be greeted by active-duty Marines who will guide them through the airport and the city. Emergency medical technicians and other volunteers from Henderson County will also go along to watch over the veterans during the daylong trip.
A documentary crew from the North Carolina School of the Arts is also going along and will give a copy of its film to each of the men.
"This is a way for this community to honor Henderson County's own World War II heroes," said former Sheriff George Erwin Jr., who was recruited by Miller to lead the fundraising drive. "There are only about three and a half million World War II veterans left. Many have never seen their memorial. This is our way of telling them thanks."
The drive began on Memorial Day and ran through July Fourth. An American Legion post helped with a spaghetti dinner. Legionnaires collected money out in front of department stores. The local Community Foundation gave a grant. Schoolchildren and the Henderson County Boys and Girls Club chipped in, too.
Rick Livingston, a firefighter, is volunteering his time as a guardian and EMT. His father served in the Air Force.
"Both my parents taught my brother and I we should return something to the community," Livingston said. "It's an added incentive to be able to return something to those folks who did so much for this country."
Ellie