Brookshire’s WWII Heroes Flight

TYLER — Officials with Brookshire’s Friday announced plans for another Brookshire’s WWII Heroes Flight that will take 36 World War II veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial and other sites. The company met with the veterans, as well as guardians that will assist them, Thursday night to explain the details of the trip. The second flight will take place on October 5-6. There is no charge for the veterans selected for the trip.

“Our first trip to Washington with World War II veterans was so rewarding for all of us we’ve decided to do it again with a new group of east Texas veterans,” said Rick Ellis, chief marketing officer for Brookshire Grocery Company. Ellis added that the response from the veterans desiring to go in May was overwhelming. “We received more applications for our May trip than we could possibly take,” Ellis said. “In fact we received so many that our October flight is already full from those who applied earlier and we still have additional applicants.”

In addition to the World War II Memorial, the group is expected to visit the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the United States Capitol. “We are very grateful for the service provided by these veterans,” said Ellis. “The freedoms we enjoy today were defended by these veterans and many others from different conflicts.” Veterans participating in the trip are from many different communities, including Tyler, Longview, Kilgore, Wills Point, Overton, Gladewater, Pittsburg, Canton, Whitehouse, Hideaway, Chandler and Mineola.

While the October flight is already full, veterans interested in participating in possible future opportunities can apply by calling (903) 534-3076 and requesting an application. Noting that the World War II Memorial was not built until 2004, Ellis added, “Most of these veterans have never had a chance to see their memorial. We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity to these 36 from our market area.” “We realize time is of the essence for this generation,’ Ellis said. “While there’s no way of having an exact figure, the estimates are that we are losing them nationally at a rate of about 1,000 per day. We don’t have a lot of time left to honor them in this way.”