Program Brings WWII Vets to 'their Memorial'

SelectPlusProgram Brings WWII Vets to 'their Memorial'Program Brings WWII Vets to 'their Memorial'The Associated PressAn organization called Honor Flight brings World War Two veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the World War Two memorial at no cost to them. Six thousand vets are on the waiting list to see the memorial. (June 21)(NATS 13:50:55)PLEASED TO MEET YOU. I'M KEITH. Keith Axelson has experienced a lot in his 83-years, but he's never seen this: [Notes:dissolve to walking shot] The four-year-old World War Two Memorial in Washington D.C. Axelson and his daughter Lys travelled from California to see how the nation remembers the more than 400-thousand Americans who lost their lives in that war. (NATS)(13:19:40) THIS ONE. THE M1.Axelson unsuccessfully tried to join the army when he was 17. He was drafted soon after turning 18. Not long after his July 1943 induction, Axelson and the 81st Infantry Division were battling the Japanese on Anguar Island in the South Pacific. There he was hit by shrapnel from anti-aircraft guns the Japanese were firing straight into the air. (SOT: KEITH AXELSON/WWII VETERAN)(13:08:45) I WAS CRAWLING BACK AND I GOT BACK ABOUT 150 200 YARDS SO I STOOD UP AND A SNIPER SHOT ME. I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM. I NEVER DID KNOW. SOME GUY IN A WEASEL, YOU KNOW THE LITTLE TRACK VEHICLES, HE COMES DRIVING UP, I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE CAME FROM, HE WAS ALL ALONE IT WAS EMPTY. HE SAID YOU WANT A RIDE? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I WANT? SO HE TOOK ME BACK TO THE AID STATION. He later joined his division in preparing for the invasion of Japan that never came. 63 years after his discharge from the Army, Axelson has made another journey.(SOT: KEITH AXELSON/WWII VETERAN)(13:13:17) I WANTED TO COME BECAUSE I KNEW I'D PROBABLY NEVER HAVE THE TOTAL FINANCES TO COME HERE CAUSE IT'S JUST TOO MUCH. I KNEW IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL BETTER BECAUSE I REALLY WANTED TO SEE IT. Axelson didn't have to worry about the money. [Notes:dissolve to group getting off the bus]Neither did 66 other World War Two vets visiting this day. They are all guests of an organization called Honor Flight.(SOT: EARL MORSE/FOUNDER HONOR FLIGHT)13:24:06 WE HAVE A VERY NARROW WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN FOR THESE INCREDIBLE MEN AND WOMEN. THE YOUNGEST WWII VETERAN IS 80 YEARS OLD. AND IN ANOTHER 5 TO 10 YEARS THERE ARE GOING TO BE VERY FEW VETERANS AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO. SO TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR US.Honor Flight is the brainchild of Earl Morse--who got the idea while working as a physicians assistant in an Ohio V-A clinic. Morse also called on another talent.(SOT: EARL MORSE)(13:22:35) BEING A PRIVATE PILOT AND A MEMBER OF ONE OF THE LARGEST AEROCLUBS IN THE COUNTRY, STARTED RECRUITING PILOTS FROM THE AEROCLUB AND WE JUST STARTED BRINGING THEM OUT HERE 2 AT A TIME AND WORLD TRAVELLED QUICK. Morse now leads six to eight groups a month to the World War Two Memorial. Private donations pay for plane tickets for the veterans. Volunteers help with the logistics of helping these aging men see what Morse calls their memorial. (nats of dole)The veterans and their families also meet with former Senator Bob Dole--also a wounded vet of World War Two. He's only missed greeting the Honor Flight two times since he first starting meeting them two years ago.And there's this moving ceremony. With more than six-thousand veterans on the waiting list for an Honor Flight, some die. Morse asks families to loan the American flag used to cover the coffin. It's brought to the memorial and photographed.(SOT: MORSE)13:28:38 IN SPIRIT, THAT VETERAN'S HERE. WHEN WE FLY OUT.For Keith Axelson, seeing the War War Two memorial with his own eyes was worth the trip.(SOT: KEITH AXELSON)(13:16:18) I THINK IT WAS WELL DONE AND THE RIGHT THING TO DO.It's also the right thing to do for all those who make Honor flight a reality. ___ ___, The Associated Press.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• honor
• flight
• program
• brings
• wwii
• vets
• 'their
• memorial'

[kanaalto123]

@iTzMyFancySauce

Sorry.

i had to dislike this because i feel so sorry for you :(((

[iTzMyFancySauce]

My grandfather was one of these great men.

Sgt. A.J. Jones. South Phillipines

Sadly Cancer took him on Sept. 10th 1996

What's really terrible is that I was born October 10th 1996.

[yankeesfan4558]

my great uncle was a gunny sergeant in that divsion

[SamPD2]

@srednaslenoloc Hey, the last Tommy, a sodier in the first world war, just died last June/July.

[usblueflyer]

I'm a stewardess who had the honor manning one of the "Honor Flights". We went from Canton, Ohio, to Washington, DC. It was the most wonderful experience of my life! I could NOT hold back my tears as I worked the flight. I'm also a USO volunteer.  Just being around these people was AWESOME!!!

I may not know them all, personally, but I claim them ALL as MY HEROES!!!

[srednaslenoloc]

i'm happy that ww2 veterans are still willing to talk about their war experiences. however i am very sad because i know that in my lifetime, all ww2 veterans will eventually be gone.

[CFCBrenn]

As the curator of our local Veterans Museum, I can tell you these Men and Women are true Hero's. They are all very humble and don't think of themselves the heros that they are. Thanks God for their sacrifice and bravery. I wonder if American's these days would have the tenacity to weather such a strom as these brave souls did.

[Gunluver1]

I can sit there for hours and hours and listen to a ww2 vet w/o getting bored it's just awsome to meet these gentleman and talk to them, also i have 4 rifles from ww2 so i guess i'm kind of a history buff

[paintballer394]

And on top of that, they could die at any moment. You think they enjoyed the thought of killing someone? or actually doing the deed? HEll, NO! They're normal people that keep you safe to live your life. And you don't even appreciate that. If anything, you should be calling yourself "scum".

[paintballer394]

Listen, or I should say read, closely. Veterans are normal men and women that were either forced or willingly put in the Armed Forces. They were on battlefields every day, trying to save their own lives and that of their friends. They keep (kept) people like you safe by keeping enemies away, letting you live your life freely. And you know what? While you sleep in your warm bed, they sit in barracks alone, or they're camped in the cold.