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Thanks to Mary Cole, Senior Girl Scout from Bridgewater, 67 World War II Veterans traveled to Washington to visit the
WWII Memorial and Arlington Cemetery on Veterans Day, 2007. Her project captured the interest of the Courier-News, with a front-page article during the planning stage of the trip and the Stars and Stripes military newspaper with a front-page article reporting on the success of the trip.
In Mary's words:
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It's the day after the trip! It feels a little bit
like the day after Christmas... so much work, and then
it's just over. Naturally, some of the veterans had arrived there before I did. That's to be expected, my granny warned me about that! There were a few minor glitches that could not have been avoided, but I handled them all and everything turned out great. There were 67 WWII Veterans, about 5 personal aides, and 18 volunteers. The veterans all got their goody bags and a very nice day; I was told by many of them that they would never forget this day for the rest of their life. The veterans and volunteers were all great; it was an amazing day. There were tons of pictures taken, they should be coming soon... A few troops of some Rolling Hills girls made signs and left them at the Senior Center, as we got back later than planned. The signs are great, and I think I will bring them up to Lyons so the veterans there can enjoy them. I will send along pictures of those also. Senator Bob Dole met us at the WWII Memorial, I am positive that was the highlight of the day for some of the veterans. He spoke right to them, took pictures, and spent quite a bit of time with us (over 1 hr). The veterans loved it, as did I. Commander John Hooper from the US Coast Guard was also on hand in Washington to greet the veterans, and he made a wonderful speech that made a lot of people cry. My Uncle Bud did the wreath ceremony with Commander Hooper, we left a Tour of Honor wreath at the New Jersey pillar at the memorial. It was a great day; I can't wait to share it at a leaders meeting sometime. Thanks, Mary PS. By the way... I'm on the front page of the major military newspaper (Stars and Stripes). There are five pictures and a very nice article. |
In the words of a participant:
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As one of the more than sixty veterans of World War II who took part in the TOUR OF HONOR on Sunday, I hereby express my personal thanks for the beautiful and sincere tribute extended to us as Mary Elizabeth Cole carried out the complex plan that she had developed as the means of earning the Girl Scout's prestigious GOLD AWARD. The occasion brought all of us to the nation's capital where we followed a well-planned schedule of site visitations of particular interest to those of us who had served during that war --- - the World War II Memorial, where we were greeted by former Senator Bob Dole, placed a wreath at the designated New Jersey column, and were addressed by a high ranking military officer from the United States Coast Guard. - the Arlington National Cemetery where, as part of a bus tour of that site which gave us an overview of the history of that shrine and pointed out the graves of many well known persons buried therein, we witnessed the hourly "changing of the guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visited the grave sites of former president John F. Kennedy and his brother former Senator and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and passed by to observe the Iwo Jima Memorial as we exited the cemetery. Accompanying the veterans on this trip were approximately fifteen volunteers who took care of our every possible need. This group included two registered nurses and one doctor --- "just in case." In case the coffee and doughnuts at the start of the trip, the snacks enroute, the tasty box-lunch, and the informal sit-down dinner on the way home were not sufficient to make us feel truly appreciated, as we boarded the bus in the morning, each veteran was presented with a "goody bag" which contained a number of items to make the day enjoyable. As we were on the final leg of our return trip, we each were given a very special remembrance, a small bag, decorated with an American flag seal, in which was a packet containing several cookies and candies, and best of all, a personal note of thanks from an individual member of the Rolling Hills Girl Scouts. Such a beautiful way to end such a beautiful day. Please extend my sincere thanks to the Girl Scouts and others who were part of this effort, and also give my congratulations and best wishes to Mary Elizabeth as she achieves her coveted GOLD AWARD. Andrew C. Bourke, U.S. Army Air Force, World War II |
In previous years, Mary's troop has visited the World War II Memorial on Veterans Day and distributed "Hero Bars." Last year Stars and Stripes published photos of the girls presenting the bars to veterans.
Stars and Stripes Veterans Day 2006 photos
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