Erwin Smith of Oneida, New York brought the first load of 52 veterans and guardians to the WWII Memorial today, Tuesday April 8th, 2008. The group is in for three days and this is the second year and the second trip for the Oneida Rotary Club. Like Honor Flight, the Vets were accompanied by guardians and two fireman from the Oneida Fire Department provided medical support. The weather was a bit sketchy when they started out but it cleared this afternoon and the next couple of days are looking good. I asked them if they had been in touch with Honor Flight and like several groups I’ve met, they operated remarkably similarly but had never heard of Honor Flight. Susan, …they’ll be in touch!!! I also got a note on the schedule from Susan preparing everyone for the first big day which is I believe April 19th. It should be quite a crowd!!

Veterans Groups are featured in Jewel of the Mall: World War II Memorial book.