WWII heroes flight to take 32 vets to Washington, D.C. | Community Spirit

Released by Brookshires Grocery Company:

Officials with Brookshire Grocery Company have announced plans for another Brookshire’s/Super 1 Foods WWII Heroes Flight that will take 32 World War II veterans to Washington DC to visit the World War II Memorial and other sites.

The company met with the veterans, as well as guardians that will be accompanying to assist them  to explain the details of the trip.

The flight will take place on May 31-June 2. There is no charge for the veterans selected for the trip.

“This will be our fourth trip to Washington with World War II veterans,” said Rick Ellis, vice president of marketing for Brookshire Grocery Company. “The response from the veterans has been overwhelming. Even after taking three previous groups, we have more than 100 veterans on our waiting list.”

While the May flight is already full, veterans interested in participating in possible future opportunities can apply by calling (903) 534-3076 and requesting an application.

In addition to the World War II Memorial, the group is expected to visit the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Capitol.

“We have some new experiences planned for this trip,” Ellis added. “We are hoping to see the Marine parade and concert at the nation’s first Marine Barracks located near the U.S. Capitol. We’re also planning a trip to the Navy Memorial. These are sites we have not visited on previous trips.”

Veterans participating in the trip are from many different Texas communities, including Tyler, Pittsburg, Jefferson, Kilgore, Bullard, Hideaway, Canton, Longview, Malakoff, Winnsboro, Holly Lake Ranch, Flint, Jacksonville, Gladewater, Whitehouse, Mt. Vernon, Athens and Lindale.

“We are very grateful for the service provided by these veterans and are proud to honor them,” Ellis added. “The freedoms we enjoy today were defended by these veterans and many others from different conflicts.”

Noting that the World War II Memorial was not dedicated until 2004, Ellis added, “Most of these veterans have not seen their memorial. We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity to these 32 from our market area.”

“We realize time is short for this generation,’ Ellis said. “While there’s no way of having an exact figure, the estimates are that we are losing them nationally at a rate of about 1,000 per day. We don’t have a lot of time left to honor them in this way.”