Send Them There
Help Send WWII Vets to the WWII Memorial
By Mark I Posted in Donations | Miscellanea | veterans | World War II | World War II Memorial — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
This morning, ABC’s Good Morning America profiled a heroic organization with an urgent mission for our World War II veterans. Honor Flight is an organization whose mission is to provide free trips to Washington DC for WWII veterans so that they can view this country’s long overdue tribute to their sacrifices. The World War II Memorial on the National Mall is three years old. But, many of the surviving veterans who fought in that war are too old, infirm, or financially unable to travel to Washington themselves to see it. Honor Flight seeks to remove those obstacles for our veterans, and provides them with the experience of a lifetime. You can see the video of the GMA report here.
Honor Flight was founded by retired Air Force Captain Earl Morse. Capt. Morse is a physician’s assistant whose patients include many WWII veterans. He started the organization after it became clear to him that many of his patients, despite their desire to go to Washington, would be unable to do so on their own. The first flight took place in May of 2005 and consisted entirely of six private planes flying veterans to Manassas, Virginia, and then escorting the veterans to Washington for a tour of the memorial.
Today, Honor Flight partners with businesses and community groups to sponsor chartered commercial flights of 40 veterans and 17 sponsors each. World War II Veterans travel free and no donations are accepted from them. The cost of one flight is $10,000.
This Veteran’s Day, please consider making a donation to this very worthwhile organization. Or consider asking your community or church group to raise the funds necessary to sponsor a flight. Our World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,200-1,500 per day. After all they have given to this nation, the least any of us can do is help them get to Washington so they can see firsthand the honor and appreciation that the nation has bestowed upon them in the World War II Memorial.
Send Them There 5 Comments (0 topical, 5 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
There's got to be better things to do with money for Vets.. I think it is important to recognize the WWII vets.. Maybe flying a flag at the memorial in their honor, then sending them a flag with a DVD highlighting the site, along with some words thanking them for their service.
And by the way, its 40 vets plus 17 sponsors for $10K, on a private chartered flight including all ancillary transportation. It' s money well spent.
But feel free to put your donations where you like. There's reason why both today's vets and yesterday's can't receive some generosity.
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Develop alternatives to existing policies and keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable. Milton Friedman
That's the number one, two, three, etc. organization that I tell folks when they ask me who to support.
1. Soldiers Angels
2. Anysoldier
3. Operation Iraqi Children
Respectfully, we are at war right now and those who need our help most are the soldiers on the front lines and in the hospitals, and their families, and the families of the fallen.
That is the most pressing need.
This is not to say that giving to other veterans should cease. By all means, give to help poor WW2 veterans or their families make ends meet or obtain proper medical care.
But spending $10,000 to take one WW2 veteran to see a new memorial in DC is wasteful when that same $10,000 could buy a lot of necessary supplies and food for our soldiers today, and help take care of the families of the wounded and dead veterans from our wars today and from previous wars. (The same would be the case if we were talking about $1,000 or $100.)
Again, I make my objection with respect.
Here are a few worthy organizations (although I'm sure most RedStaters already have their own favorites):
http://projectboresnake.org/
http://www.troopsneedyou.com/donation.php
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/help.html
http://adoptaplatoon.org/new/