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World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.

(by Susan L. Ruth, The Washington Times) – On Sunday October 13, 2013 the Million Vet March is going to take place at 9:00 a.m. at the World War II Memorial.

The protest has been organized by individuals with various connections to the military, either as children of veterans, spouses of veterans or those who have served themselves, who are outraged and deeply disappointed that individuals who have served in the military have been blocked from the memorials honoring their service across the country. They are most concerned about blocking access to monuments in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.

According to the Million Vet March website, the organizers are not concerned about what anyone’s political leaning are, whether Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative: if anyone who saw the World War II veterans barricaded from their memorial this past week and felt outrage, they welcome all to join them in their protest.

The organizers believe that the veterans are being used as pawns who have unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a political battle, something that should not have happened.

Daniel L. Kaifetz, executive director of North Country Honor Flight, has reached out to the Million Vet March organizers due to the fact that there are going to be five Honor Flights in Washington D.C. on October 12, 2013.

Kaifetz explained that these Honor Flights have been granted a “first amendment permit” to access the World War II memorial but they are still blocked from the Iwo Jima Monument, which is a stop that the Honor Flights almost always make.

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U. S. Marine Corps War Memorial (also called the Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, VA.

Kaifetz is hoping for a large presence of veterans and supporters to be at the Iwo Jima Monument on Saturday to assist the World War II marine heroes to gain access to their memorial.

Honor Flights is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to bringing veterans of wars to see their memorials in Washington D.C. at no cost to the service member.  These flights were started after the World War II memorial in D.C. was completed almost 60 years after the end of WWII in 2004.  It was realized that many of those who were being honored would never get a chance to see the monument that had been erected to thank them.

Honor flights focus on World War II veterans and veterans of other wars who are battling a terminal illness.  

The flights arrive at one of the Washington D.C. area airports…on a variety of airlines although Southwest Airline is the official airline of the Honor Flight organization. American Legion Unit 180 in Vienna, Virginia organizes the Hero’s Welcome project so that when the veterans leave the airliner, they are greeted by a cheering crowd.

The Million Vet March’s Facebook event page has over 23,000 “likes” and states that almost 2,000 individuals have committed to attending.

The March has also organized a petition to ask that the memorials be opened.  It had received 3,254 signatures at the time of this writing. The petition states that veterans should never need to storm their own memorials and are asking not only for the immediate opening but also for legislation so that these monuments can never again be closed.

Rallies are being organized in each state for those who are unable to travel to Washington D.C. but who still want to show their support for the veterans. …

Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC.  Reprinted from the Washington Times for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from washingtontimes.com.

Questions

1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. Who organized the Million Vet March?

3. Why was the march organized? Be specific.

4. a) What is Honor Flights?
b) How many Honor Flights will visit memorials in Washington on October 12?

5. What does North Country Honor Flight director Dan Kaifetz want Million Vet March participants to do?

6. a) What do you think: Why is President Obama allowing the federal government to block access to the war memorials? Is this a necessary part of the government shutdown? Is this the steadfast act of a statesman doing his job or a petty act of a man who doesn’t like being opposed?  Explain your answer.
b) Ask a parent the same question.

Background

History of the Honor Flight Network:

The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May of 2004, the World War II Memorial was finally completed and dedicated in Washington, D.C. and quickly became the topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.

Earl repeatedly asked these veterans if they would ever travel out to visit THEIR memorial. Most felt that eventually, somehow, they would make it to D.C., perhaps with a family member or friend.

As summer turned to fall and then winter, these same veterans returned to the clinic for their follow-up visits. Earl asked if they accomplished their dream of visiting the World War II Memorial. By now, for most of the veterans he asked, reality had settled in; it was clear to most that it simply wasn’t financially or physically possible for them to make the journey. Most of these senior heroes were in their 80s and lacked the physical and mental wherewithal to complete a trip on their own. Families and friends also lacked the resources and time to complete the three- to four-day trip to the nation’s capital.

Visit the website at: honorflight.org

Resources

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