One hundred World War II veterans from Williamson County boarded a chartered plane this morning headed for Washington D.C. The group of gray-haired men and women, some in wheel chairs, are on a mission to see the new World War II Memorial.
For many, it will be their first and only visit.
Coyle Hazelwood of Brentwood served with the Navy in the Pacific. He turns 87 next week. He says his memories of the war have faded with time, but these monuments bring the reality flooding back. He says he expects his response to be similar to a friend and fellow vet.
“He just got down on his knees. When you lose your buddy right next to you, it’s hard.”
Following the war, former infantryman Jimmy Gentry wouldn’t talk much about it. He says he began opening up last year after a visit to the concentration camp liberated by his unit.
“As soon as I saw the gate where the people were, I broke down and cried. Not just a little bit. I cried hard and loud.”
Gentry says he felt a burden was lifted.
Organizers of the trip raised 77-thousand dollars to charter a plane as part of a program called Honor Flight. The veterans spend the day in Washington at no cost.
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