Thursday, May 3, 2012
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WWII vets from Tampa area head to D.C. memorial
WWII vets from Tampa area head to D.C. memorial
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tampa Bay Online
Dozens of people spent the wee hours this morning at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport cheering on a group of 70 World War II veterans heading to Washington, D.C., to see a memorial dedicated to the battles they fought.
The veterans were taking part in the second Honor Flight, sponsored by Honor Flight of West Central Florida, which raises money to send veterans on expense-free trips to the National World War II Memorial.
Of the more than 1 million men and women who served in the war, more than 30,000 still live in the Tampa Bay area, according to Honor Flights of West Central Florida.
Overall, WWII veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day, making these efforts especially important, according to the organization.
The 70 veterans, along with 70 guardians, arrived at the airport at 4:30 a.m. for check-in and a scheduled breakfast provided by McDonald's. They boarded an Allegiant Air flight and took off at 7 a.m.
After touring the memorial and possibly other sites in the nation's capital, the veterans are scheduled to return about 7 tonight to what organizers hope is a large welcome celebration.
The veterans, organizers said, will return to the arrival area in a procession lead by an honor guard and bagpiper, past the Patriot Guard flag line, military personnel and Scouts to their families, family and public, who, experience shows, will be cheering and waving flags.
Veterans returning from the group's first Honor Flight in May were greeted by hundreds of people.
The veterans will be greeted by Maj. Gen. Michael D. Jones, chief of staff of U.S. Central Command. Jones will present each veteran with a World War II Memorial Book and a challenge coin commemorating the event.
The memorial, on the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, opened in 2004.
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