yellowwing
11-12-07, 01:03 PM
The Greatest Generation Remembers Its Sacrifice
http://www.ywg-web.com/images/ap_veteran_071112_ms.jpg
Nov. 12, 2007
ABC News Online (http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3851010&page=1)
Of the original 16 million World War II veterans, a mere 3.5 million survive today. Many of them descended upon Washington, D.C., for Veterans Day, to remember, celebrate and honor their comrades.
To see, touch and feel the World War II Memorial, which opened to the public in April 2004, is an opportunity some men thought they would never receive.
"I never thought I'd make it," one veteran said.
"It humbles you so much. It's hard to say," another veteran added.
Now, some of those former armed forces members, who previously had been unable to view the site - created in their honor - in person, are getting a chance to visit the memorial, thanks to one veteran.
Thousands of veterans are being ferried and flown to the memorial thanks to the vision of retired Air Force Capt. Earle Morse.
Morse founded Honor Flight Network, and has aided 5,000 veterans to get to Washington since his program began.
For more information on Honor Flight, go to honorflight.org.
"For them, for their sacrifice - and to have a memorial and no way to see it - it's like, what is the point?" Morse asked.
With the help of community organizations and corporate donors, Honor Flight has helped veterans like Air Corps Staff Sgt. Virgil Leonard to finally reach their dream - all without spending a penny of their own, often limited, income.
"I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how to describe it. It's just super," said Leonard, who had been too afraid and too frail to make the journey alone, before Honor Flight Network's help.
With between 1,200 and 1,500 World War II veterans dying per day, the organization gives top priority to the most senior veterans, and those who are terminally ill. And while, today, Honor Flight uses commercial airlines to accommodate the maximum number of vets possible, its growth is a far cry from its first flight in May 2005, when six small planes flew WWII veterans from Springfield, Ohio, to the nation's capital.
The shared experience is one that only they truly can understand, even when they are total strangers to one another.
"It's quite an experience," said former Sen. Bob Dole. "I've had grown men say, 'This is the greatest thing that ever happened.'"
Paratrooper Thomas Zouzas finally had a chance to honor his buddies who died in the war.
"It's a great thing these people have done," Zouzas said.
The gratefulness of the veterans is often visible in their timeworn faces. With an air terminal suddenly awash in balloons and patriotic fare, the disembarking passengers emerged slowly from their plane, simply stunned that they had made it to their destination.
None were immune from the emotion as they embraced fellow veterans and contemplated the dog days of war that helped steer the country out of a stifling depression, and made it an international player on the world stage.
Their faces and gestures said more than their words ever could. For a generation known for its use of few words, and even fewer demands, the unanticipated thank you from the generations that followed it, serves as an enriching reminder of their sacrifices.
http://www.ywg-web.com/images/ap_veteran_071112_ms.jpg
Nov. 12, 2007
ABC News Online (http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3851010&page=1)
Of the original 16 million World War II veterans, a mere 3.5 million survive today. Many of them descended upon Washington, D.C., for Veterans Day, to remember, celebrate and honor their comrades.
To see, touch and feel the World War II Memorial, which opened to the public in April 2004, is an opportunity some men thought they would never receive.
"I never thought I'd make it," one veteran said.
"It humbles you so much. It's hard to say," another veteran added.
Now, some of those former armed forces members, who previously had been unable to view the site - created in their honor - in person, are getting a chance to visit the memorial, thanks to one veteran.
Thousands of veterans are being ferried and flown to the memorial thanks to the vision of retired Air Force Capt. Earle Morse.
Morse founded Honor Flight Network, and has aided 5,000 veterans to get to Washington since his program began.
For more information on Honor Flight, go to honorflight.org.
"For them, for their sacrifice - and to have a memorial and no way to see it - it's like, what is the point?" Morse asked.
With the help of community organizations and corporate donors, Honor Flight has helped veterans like Air Corps Staff Sgt. Virgil Leonard to finally reach their dream - all without spending a penny of their own, often limited, income.
"I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how to describe it. It's just super," said Leonard, who had been too afraid and too frail to make the journey alone, before Honor Flight Network's help.
With between 1,200 and 1,500 World War II veterans dying per day, the organization gives top priority to the most senior veterans, and those who are terminally ill. And while, today, Honor Flight uses commercial airlines to accommodate the maximum number of vets possible, its growth is a far cry from its first flight in May 2005, when six small planes flew WWII veterans from Springfield, Ohio, to the nation's capital.
The shared experience is one that only they truly can understand, even when they are total strangers to one another.
"It's quite an experience," said former Sen. Bob Dole. "I've had grown men say, 'This is the greatest thing that ever happened.'"
Paratrooper Thomas Zouzas finally had a chance to honor his buddies who died in the war.
"It's a great thing these people have done," Zouzas said.
The gratefulness of the veterans is often visible in their timeworn faces. With an air terminal suddenly awash in balloons and patriotic fare, the disembarking passengers emerged slowly from their plane, simply stunned that they had made it to their destination.
None were immune from the emotion as they embraced fellow veterans and contemplated the dog days of war that helped steer the country out of a stifling depression, and made it an international player on the world stage.
Their faces and gestures said more than their words ever could. For a generation known for its use of few words, and even fewer demands, the unanticipated thank you from the generations that followed it, serves as an enriching reminder of their sacrifices.