About 80 U.S. military veterans from metro Atlanta got out of bed Tuesday morning before the sun had risen.
Surrounded by a police escort, they boarded a bus bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The plane will arrive in Washington, D.C. sometime on Tuesday, and for many of these former military members, it’s the only chance they’ll get to see monuments made for them.
And it comes at no cost to the veterans.
This was all made possible by Honor Air, a program through Roswell’s Rotary Club that takes an annual trip to the nation’s capital at no cost to U.S. veterans. Tuesday’s trip to Washington was the ninth for the Roswell Rotary Club.
“We get individual sponsors who pay to be guardians for our veterans and we get a few corporate sponsors as well,” said Gordon Owens, a member of the club’s board of directors.
When the program first began it was just for veterans from World War II, but it has expanded to include veterans from the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
The purpose of the trip is to allow veterans to see the memorials and monuments that were built for them and their fellow soldiers. And many of these veterans don’t have much time.
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that just about 446,000 World War II veterans will still be living by Sept. 30, 2018. Only 620,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive in 2016.
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Once the veterans arrive in Washington, they will be escorted on buses from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to the World War II Memorial. They will then visit the Vietnam and Korean Memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. That same day, they will fly back to Atlanta and then travel by bus to Roswell.
Every veteran will have a volunteer guardian to personally assist them. Paramedics and wheelchairs will be available for the journey.
For some, this a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and the cost isn't cheap. Roswell Rotary estimates it costs about $600 per veteran. Those who wish to help send a veteran to Washington can donate online at roswellrotary.club.
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