WNY HEROES trip flies WWII veterans to the capital for a memorable visit

Senator George Maziarz is pleased to announce that the day has finally arrived—the WNY HEROES trip flies today!  Thirty-four World War II veterans from Western New York are being flown to Washington, DC to visit the World War II Memorial and other area monuments and memorials.  None of them have yet visited the memorial dedicated to the war they helped win.  The World War II Memorial was completed in 2004.

The nearly three dozen World War II veterans will be accompanied by a team of volunteer chaperones as they make their way around the nation’s capital.  In additional to the World War II Memorial, they will also see the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, and more.  They will have a boxed lunch at the World War II Memorial and a first-rate buffet dinner in Washington, DC at night.

“It will be a long but rewarding day for everyone involved,” said Senator Maziarz, the trip’s coordinator.  “These brave men—and one woman—in our group served our nation proudly when we needed them the most.  We owe a great deal to their generation, and this trip is just one small way of saying ‘thank you.’”

The group, dubbed WNY HEROES, flies out of the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Southwest Airlines at 8:25AM, but not before a kick-off ceremony with Congressman Chris Lee and the 914^th Airlift Wing Honor Guard in the terminal lobby.  They will return home tonight at 10:40 PM.

“This trip is completely free for the veterans,” Senator Maziarz added.  “They have given enough.  We want them to have a good time and enjoy this memorable experience.  All of them are in their eighties or nineties, and this might be the only chance they have to see the World War II Memorial.  We want to make it the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Senator Maziarz said that special praise must be given to the Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce for their partnership in this event, to Health Systems Services for generously loaning wheelchairs, and to the staffs of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Transportation Security Administration, and Southwest Airlines for their friendly cooperation.

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