WWII MEMORIAL: Jewel of the Mall

The WWII Memorial: Honoring Our Heroes

A site dedicated to the WWII Memorial and the veterans who preserved our way of life during WWII.  I’m Stephen R. Brown and the author of “WWII Memorial: Jewel of the Mall” . The book is available everywhere on the Washington Mall except the WWII Memorial.  I post new images of Honor Flighs and Veterans at the Memorial on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. THESE IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY unless you get a signed license from me. The most recent article on Honor Flight can be seen here. 

I am not sure how many veterans have been transported to DC by Honor Flight and affiliated groups in the past couple of years but it stands in my mind as fascinating and as moving a phenomena as any I have seen in modern history.  Thanks to all for an amazing 2009 season.  I have to say that it without doubt the nicest group of people I have ever met. They are all “givers.” For more information on the WWII Memorial and the Honor Flight organization, sign up for our free newsletter

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Frank Buckles and the WWI Memorial

 From Susan Barr

Frank Buckles, 108, the last remaining US veteran of World War I, was going before a US Senate sub-committee today to re-designate the WWI Memorial in DC, as THE WWI Memorial.

The WWI Memorial is located between the WWII and Korean War Monuments on Independence Avenue, and is not located on most of the maps of the sites to see in DC.   It was tucked in a glen and hidden by overgrown shrubs and trees.  Recently it has been cleaned up and the foliage cut back somewhat.   

This war has a special place in my family.  My Grandfather Louis Frederick Hurd, carried the first American Flag, with his Army Engineer unit, into occupied France during WWI. He was the reason my Uncle Louis served in WWII and my Father Walter Hurd, and my Uncle Wilbur Hurd, in the Korean War.

My sons attend Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware Ohio, and they have a traveling WWI exhibit on display there.  This display brings attention to the WWI Memorials plight and also to the fact that we are down to just one WWI Veteran, and that their history is fading too quickly.

 Here is a link to the exhibit and also to a petition that you can sign if you are in favor of the WWI Memorial from the People of the District of Columbia, becoming THE National WWI Memorial.

Maybe we can have a part in keeping the WWI History alive, finally letting Mr. Buckles rest easier that the WWI Veterans will not be forgotten.  That we can unify once again, to recognize a Memorial to those who fought so valiantly in a long ago war and still deserve the honor and respect for preserving our freedoms.

Thank you Mr. Buckles, for never letting us forget that ALL Veterans of ALL wars and conflicts need a place to reflect and be honored.  Most importantly THANK YOU for your service to our still free country and for being such a tireless role model for all of us.

Lest we forget…...  

Senator Dole on the Mend

From Judy Lemmons

Senator Dole's office reports "he is quite well, working from home and doing his daily physical therapy to build up his strength. He may come in later this week or next depending on how the PT is going.

He commented on how much better he feels already and has been so optimistic! I think he will be training for a marathon in no time"

What a guy!  Keep him in your prayers as he continues to get stronger and stronger.
 

VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN!!!

  

Jeff Miller, our co-founder (the guy who got the the charter operations on the roll) from North Carolina wrote to tell me the Asheville Airport is having a contest and if you vote for the Hendersonville Printing Tree, they get money to send two Honor Flights so....as it's all in our family, ....VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN!!!

Please take a minute to go to the website below and vote for the Hendersonville Printing Christmas Tree that is on display at the Asheville Airport.  If we get the most votes we will get a donation to the HonorAir program and we are planning 1 or 2 more flights in the Spring.  Share this request with others if you don't mind. The website address is
 

http://www.flyavl.com/announcements/2009-11-23-annc-holiday-contest.html  

War of Our Fathers

  
In 1990, Richard Marin, an incredibly talented photographer and Stephen Ambrose, the famed historian and writer, traveled the Pacific documenting wrecks in the jungle, in the sea.... the tunnels in Corregidor, etc....  The resulting book "War of Our Fathers" was financed by Kodak's Ray DeMoulin a generous patron of the photographic arts (which Kodak used to be) sponsored not only this project but others like "Odyssey:  The Art of Photography at the Geographic", "Indelible Images:  One Hundred Years of War Photography and Richard Avedon's retrospective.  The photographs are done in a mixture of infrared and it looks to me like Kodachome.  If you are looking to buy a special gift this season, I've seen the book as low as $38.00 early December 2009 and last Summer got four copies from $3.00 to $7.00 but that was "a bargain."  If you are vaguely interested in WWII or photography, this book is something you should see.  I'd also like to mention Lance Akers of Minnesota and North Dakota fund raising fame for mentioning the book to me.  Lance is out there doing good....which seems to define a lot the Honor Flight/Air group.

Chicago's Blog

 
Please check out our blog. The company that does our blog is Shakespeare Squared.  They specialize in social marketing and do an amazing job with it every week.  Please consider forwarding this link to friends and family to read.  This is what Christmas should be about.  
http://honorflightchicago.org/hfcblog/hfcblog.php/ 

Have a look at Chicago's not so new blog which will be permanently linked to this site. This particular entry contains a Christmas Story which is quite moving.

 
 

End of Season 2009

by Earl Morse

This is Incredible.  When we consider all the families of these veterans who have been touched, the “passers-by” at the airports who happened to be there on arrival or departure, the communities that rally behind these trips, the other tourists at the memorials fortunate enough to encounter these heroes, and the countless other witnesses to our efforts, that total number far exceeds what any of us can imagine.  

 
The incredible number of people who were deeply moved by our program is exceeded only by the countless hours of selfless service provided by our volunteers and supporters.  These accomplishments in 2009 and the previous years are the result of exhaustive work; untold late-night hours, time away from family and friends, pressure-cooker scenarios that played out all year, the list is endless.  The Honor Flight Network IS our volunteers and supporters.  You all have made and continue to make this dream a reality.  Even though it was a total team effort and everyone stepped up to help, there are some that were involved in EVERY flight, every day of the week, all year long: 
 

Herb Striner: a photographer who can count!

Congratulations to Herb Striner (Dean of the American University School of Former Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, Economist Herbert E. Striner, also worked in the corporate and public sectors. His photography has been featured in exhibits and publications. This collection consists of over 9,000 black & white negatives, color slides, and color negatives depicting a wide variety of subjects in the United States and abroad from the 1940s to 1998 including Washington, DC landmarks such as the National Cathedral and C&O Canal. 

Herbert Striner got his first camera when he was waiting to return home from the China-Burma-India Theater at the end of World War II. Some of the earliest photographs in this collection document life on a troop ship. Dr. Striner took his camera with him on his personal and professional travels depicting the people he met and the places he visited. Dr. Striner switched to digital photography in 1999.

 The Dean of the School of Communications came to me one day and told me that a fellow named Herb Striiner was coming out of retirement to take my class...and it was implied, I should be in awe!!  And so i was!  He put himself to work at digital imaging and ended up digitizing circles around his fellow students. His collection of photography has just been accepted for the Washington Research Libraries Collection and iI want to congratulate him for making sure that his archives are on file.  As a photographer, I urge you all to collect and digitize those images which aren't just snapshots, they are history.

After the war, Herb traveled extensively, worked on productivity issues for Ford and other major corporations and during his tenure as Dean, the American University School of Business was held in highest regard.  Today, he’s gone beyond photography and is using digital tools to produce abstractions on paper. 

...they will never forget the way you made them feel.

From Judy Lemmons,  Dir, Public Relations/Protocol
Honor Flight Network

CONGRATULATIONS to all the amazing, talented, selfless and dedicated volunteers who have time and again supported over 278 flights during 2009 with 17,832 vets and 8,704 guardians for a total of 35,996 veterans who have been blessed to visit their memorial over the past four years!  I'm certain we have exceeded 36,000 as we know there were some who flew under the radar, just the same, many thousands of veterans have visited their memorial.

You have each been a part of that history.  The hallowed grounds of the “Jewel of the Mall” as so eloquently named by Stephen Brown, will forever hold the footprints of a generation that otherwise would have never walked it.  May 2010 will be the 5th anniversary of Honor Flight...we've come a long way baby!   

Beginning 1 April 2009, we ramped up our energy, our desire, our support and our urgency to do more than we have in the past, during what has been touted as the most depressed economy in recent history.  WE DID IT!

To each and everyone of you who answered phones, donated money, tracked applications, made name tags, greeted vets at the airports, provided water and coolers, hugs and photographs, gave more than just your time, but your love as well, you are all to be commended as the HERO behind the HERO the unsung hero in many cases and many times, but nonetheless, the HERO’s HERO.
 
We have all been honored to walk in the shadows and on the shoulders of giants.  They have time and again inspired us to want to do more, to continue to charge, to give them a final salute in the closing chapters of their lives.

You have been the wind beneath the Honor Flight wings and you can sleep sound over the off season as I leave you with my forever thought on your service…

 They may not remember what you said.  They may not remember what you did, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.

George Kerestes on greeting veterans at the WWII Memorial

 
George Kerestes was interviewed by South Dakota's Keloland Television and got a nice write up regarding his four years of greeting Veterans at the WWII Memorial.  He says:  ""Now that I look back and realize these were my neighbors growing up and I never extended my hand,” Kerestes said. “So in my own way, this is how I shake my neighbor's hands, my father's friends that I didn't get to say thank you for."....And the vets say the "thank yous" never get old.

The interview and television piece can be seen at Keloland.com.  It's a rare day when I get to the Memorial and George isn't greeting veterans.  I remember while he was still working that he used to show up in his red, white and blue flag tie!  We need more of George!

Today went amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Amanda Nerwin

Forwarded to Mary Pettinato

Hey Mary!!

Today went amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We had the store

decorated in red, white, and blue and it looked great!!  So many

Veterans showed up and it was great to see them all sit together with

their coffee and donut and share stories!  The Des Plaines sity clerk

also came by and sat and visited with the Vets with her coffee and

donut.  My grandfathers guardian Mary Lou also showed up which made my

grandpa's day!! 

 

South middle school never called me back so I made the extra treasure

chest I had into an additional donations box at the bakery for Honor

Flight Chicago.  I was so overwhelmed with everyone's generosity!!  I

opened a card from one one customer who comes in about four times a week

and it said:

"Just wanted to write you a note expressing how nice it is of your

family to honor the Veterans.  We would like to contribute to this cause

worthy of nothing less.  God bless your family.  Veteran's deserve this

respect and honor.  We hope this will help you achieve your goal."

The letter brought tears to my eyes, and he had put a $100 bill in the

card.  Our grand total of just additional donations is................

$739.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is way more then I expected!!  (Actual Total was over $1200.00!!!)

The article that Tim was writing will be printed next week in the

Journal and Topics newspaper, that is what he told me this morning!!  I

am also so sorry to hear about Bill Malling, I remember him on the

flight we sat together when we ate breakfast at the gate, I am praying

for his family!

I will see you Monday!

Amanda Nerwin

THE IMAGES CAN BE SEEN AT THE PHOTO SITE