To date, 1,004 Vets/Caregivers/Volunteers have taken this trip with us over the past five years (ten trips) to see these Memorials. If you are a WWII or Korean War or Vietnam/Vietnam Era Vet in Shelby County (Ohio), contact us to see how you too can join us on the "Honor Bus."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

September 2011, Trip #6...

This is the "Team Picture" from the September 2011 Trip to DC.  It was an extremely rewarding trip and one on which we probably got closer to the Vets than on any other before.  Below are the Vets at the World War II Memorial.

This is a picture of the eight World War II Vets.  This was quite a group.  There were some very interesting stories here.


These were very special people.  What a pleasure to get to know them.

A country grows in history and greatness not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, but also because of the lives they lead afterwards.

Hooah

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

May 2011 Trip...

Here is a picture of the Vets we took on the May 23-25, 2011 trip, the group's 5th trip for WWII and Korean War Veterans to Washington, DC.  These trips are for these Veterans who have not been there before to see their memorials.


This was an excellent trip and the Vets and Caregivers were absolutely great.  We heard some good stories, shared good conversation, and got to know some truly great Americans.

You know you're getting older when you notice that more and more history questions happened in your lifetime!

Hooah

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Generous Supporters...

As we get closer to our next trip to Washington (May 20-22), we have received many very generous donations toward the expenses of this venture.  Individual donors have written checks to sponsor Vets, with these checks ranging from $1,000.00 to $10.00.  They have come from all points on the compass and people from all walks of life.  In light of this economy, this is extremely gratifying and appreciated by the Committee.  These make us want to have an even more special trip for these Veterans and their Caregivers.

Along those lines, I want to just highlight two special groups who have helped us this year (again).

First, the Kid's Care and Student Council Clubs at Emerson Elementary School in Sidney, with the help and guidance of their teachers, took us under their wings and set out to raise enough money to sponsor one Vet's trip ($355.00).  Well, they got so involved in this worthwhile project, they ended up sponsoring 4 Vet's trips!!!  These pictures are from the presentation they made to us the other day at their school.  These 2nd and 3rd graders will probably not ever know how much they have given these Vets, but we will.  And now, YOU  will.
In addition to the money they raised, we were also presented with a box of letters the students had written to the Vets.  These are used in our "Mail Call" activities during the trip.
2nd and 3rd Graders from Emerson Elementary School.
It just so happens that the nickname for the Emerson School is "The Eagles."  How ironic it was that we concluded the assembly with the presentation of a cane to the students for their display case.  The canes are carved by the Miami Valley Wood Carvers, Assn. and given to the Vets prior to the trip.  The "head" of the cane is carved in the shape of an Eagle.

Jim presents an "Eagle Cane" to the students.
The second group that pitched in was the 2011 Riverside H.S. Powerlifting Team (shown below).  This is a group of students from Riverside High School, located in DeGraffe, OH who have spent the better part of this past year collecting scrap metal and selling it, with the proceeds going to us, and to cover some of their expenses for the upcoming "World Meet" for powerlifters of their age group.  They qualified for this meet, which is coming up later this Spring, and according to their coach, Mr. Stewart, stand a good chance of placing some of their lifters in the top slots.  This would be unprecedented for a school their size.


Click on this picture to see a full size shot.


Just like the Emerson students, they too raised enough to sponsor 4 Vets.  That's over $1,400.00, which was also money taken away from their expense fund.  That meant they had to work that much harder to cover this donation.

As I said earlier, this is just an example of two groups who saw the value of honoring Veterans and went about making it happen.  What a great example these two groups are for other young people.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.  (Maya Angelou)
Hooah


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Mail Call Surprise...

One day last year, Roger (our Committee treasurer) and I just happened to run into each other at the post office in Anna and were exchanging items regarding an upcoming trip to DC for the Vets when in came a little old guy (Ralph) wearing a Korean War Veterans hat.  Well, it didn't take us long to jump on him and ask if he had been to Washington to see the Memorials.

He told us he had not, so we proceeded to go through the whole process and asked him if he would be interested in going.   He said he had never been there and would certainly like to see them before he died.  We were all set.  I got him an application and he was on the list.

Ralph is a real quiet guy, unassuming and a pretty neat guy.Shown below on the left, he is looking over his information packet he received at the pre-departure dinner sponsored by the Sidney VFW Post 4239.


Ralph lives in Anna and I had seen him around town but had never talked to him before this.  Getting a guy like this to go on the trip was just dumb luck, but I knew he would have a good time.  He did not take a travel companion with him, so it was kinda like "Ferris Buehler's Big Adventure." Ralph's nickname is "Rattlesnake" but I never found out how he got that.

I would bet few of us knew much if anything about Ralph before this trip, and some probably haven't thought about him since.  But for that two day period, he was special to us.  When I drive up to check the mail box, I often end up going past Ralph's place and I sometimes see him sitting out below the awning, just watching traffic go by.  I now honk and wave -- sometimes he sees me in time to return my wave, sometimes he sees who it is, and sometimes he's just waving to someone who honks at him.  He may not know who it was, but I know who he is.


Most of you know by now that we have a thing called "Mail Call" on the trips.  Well, the Mail Call Committee got in touch with Ralph's point of contact and a member of his family sent him a clock which we gave to him on the last mail call (pictured below).  I think it came from a daughter who lives our west somewhere.  It really surprised him. These are the kinds of things that make these trips special.
 Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest.  (Georgia O'Keeffe)

Hooah

Saturday, January 8, 2011

"Now I can say good-bye to them..."

Getting Veterans to Washington to see their Memorials is probably one of the most fulfilling things things I have been associated with for a long time.  The Shelby County Vets To DC Committee is a collection of the most fantastic people I have ever met.  They come from all walks of life, with very diversified backgrounds.  But they all have a singular focus -- doing whatever it takes to get these Veterans to DC.  We have made four trips as of this writing, and are well on our way to putting the finishing touches on trip #5 -- that equates to a little over 125 Vets (and an equal number of Caregivers) who have gone.  There have been some hiccups along the way, but working with such a professional group of volunteers, things have appeared flawless and the Vets have had a wonderful time.

There are a lot of really great things that happen on each trip, and lots of stories we hear during those two days.  We have a get-together Saturday night after the dinner and just sit around and talk, tell stories and get to really know each other.  But some of the stories aren't directly told, but picked up by keeping your eyes and ears open during the day.  This is one of those stories.

Frank is a World War II Veteran, and as you can see, he is getting up there in age.  Well, we weren't sure if he would be able to make the trip because he requires oxygen all the time and cannot walk much.  Well, Judy, our nurse, made the suggestion that we contact him and his caregiver (Bob) and see who his oxygen supplier is.  We did that and since they are a national company, they were able to put a tank at the hotel for him and supply some portable units for the trip and the day of sightseeing.  We also get the use of new wheelchairs from Apria Home Healthcare so getting around was no big deal.

But the real story is two-fold with Frank.  The picture below was taken at the WWII Memorial by the Anzio section.  Frank fought at Anzio and lost some good friends in those battles.  He told Bob that he was so grateful to be at the Memorial,  and he felt that he could now say good-bye to his buddies.  Certainly wouldn't have learned anything like that if he hadn't made that trip.

The Second part of the story was at the Korean War Memorial.  We have a little ceremony (wreath laying, reading of the names of those from Shelby County who were killed in that war, and playing taps) at each of the two Memorials.  Well, as we finished reading out the names of those who were killed there and were getting ready to play Taps and render honors, Frank (on right below) had Bob help him up out of the wheelchair so he could stand (center, below) and salute.  Boy are those special moments -- not big things, but really, really special.



In the minds of men, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown.  Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first -- some learn and live and some don't and die.  And in between, there are doors holding back floods of memories.

Hooah