On October 9th and 10th, 2012, 7 veterans – representing 3 major Wars: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam – were granted their Wish of a Lifetime to see the War memorials on the National Mall in Washington, DC for the very first time. The group hailed mostly from the Denver Metro area, but each added a unique, courageous story of service to the group. The trip was made possible through the generous support of Lend Lease.
Although most of the group had served in multiple wars, whether WWII and Korea or all 3, none had ever been able to witness the memorials in Washington, DC firsthand. The accomplishments and achievements of these veterans is extensive. Each served their country proudly. They never questioned whether their service would have an impact on the lives of others – they said they were all just doing their duty as Americans. The group quickly bonded which made for an extremely emotional and fun trip.
The trip was jam packed with activities. On October 9th, the group started their tour of the memorials at the WWII memorial where they enjoyed a private tour from a volunteer Park Service Ranger. That afternoon they toured the Korean, Lincoln, and Vietnam Memorial while enjoying a picnic style lunch at the Constitution Gardens. That evening they were hosted by American Legion Post 86 in Rockville, MD. Commander Colleen welcomed our group with open arms and even had her Nam Knights (motorcycle club of Vietnam Vets) meet our group. They were all treated like Kings! On October 10th the group started their day paying respects to their fallen Armed Forces commrades while touring Arlington National Cemetery. While in Arlington the group toured the Kennedy’s grave sites, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the changing of the guard ceremony. That evening, the group was hosted for dinner by American Legion Post 60 in Laurel, MD. Commander Lee and her post went above and beyond honoring our group and making sure their every wants were tended too. Commander Lee’s support went above and beyond as usual.
On the final day of the trip the group reluctantly went to the airport in DC and boarded a plane for home. They each had an amazing time and couldn’t begin to put the trips meaning into adequate words. Without Wish of a Lifetime and the overwhelming support of Lend Lease – many of these heroes would never have known just how amazing their sacrifice to our Nation really was.
