Norman Harris, a World War II Veteran, visited the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., as a participant in the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight Program. The flag he holds is in honor of a fellow veteran who was unable to make the trip.

by Lisa Crockett

When the National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. in May 2004, many of the veterans who served in the war were already gone, having either been killed during the war or passing away in the intervening decades. The monument honors the 400,000 who died in the war, but also serves as a tribute to the 16 million people who served in the armed forces during the war.

Today, less than two million of those veterans are still alive and roughly 1,200 pass away each day, meaning that just a small fraction of those who are honored by the memorial are likely to see it.

“For many veterans, getting to see the monument is unlikely because of the cost of the trip to get there, or medical needs that make travel difficult,” said Susie Ellison, a resident of Castle Pines North (CPN).

Ellison’s father, Martin E. Sorte, a Retired Air Force Colonel, was able to visit the monument last fall on a trip with a local non-profit organization called Rocky Mountain Honor flight. The group seeks to get veterans from the Rocky Mountain region to the monument by providing airline tickets, accommodations and travel assistance.

“My father felt so honored to go and spoke so highly of the organization and of the trip, I knew I had to get involved,” said Ellison.

Ellison volunteered her time to work as a “guardian” on a trip with 42 veterans and several volunteers – many of them nurses and others with medical training. As a guardian, Ellison pushed wheelchairs, helped veterans on and off the bus, helped vets get meals and snacks and generally made sure their needs were met during the trip.

“This is all-expenses paid for the veterans,” said Ellison (who, like all other volunteer guardians paid her own way on the trip.) “They don’t pay for meals, airline tickets, hotel or anything else unless they wish to buy a souvenir.”

In addition to a visit at the World War II Monument, veterans also visit several other monuments on the National Mall as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans are honored at a pre-flight luncheon at the Denver USO (which is located in the airport) and greeted by a cheering crowd at both the Baltimore Airport and then again at the Denver Airport – a hero’s welcome.

“I was so touched to see how many people came and shook these people’s hands, and were there to greet them at the airports and at the monument itself,” said Ellison. “At the World War II Memorial, several students who were there on school field trips came and thanked these men and women for their service. One of the women I was with said that when the war was over she hadn’t really felt appreciated. Hearing ‘thank you’ really meant a lot to her.”

Ellison is, in her own words, “hooked” on the experience of accompanying these veterans to the monument and plans to volunteer to serve as a guardian again.

“Most of these veterans are in their 80s and 90s, the window of time we have to get them to this monument is closing,” she said. “I feel like it’s important to step up and get them there.

Rocky Mountain Honor Flight accepts donations to sponsor veterans visiting the World War II Monument. A trip costs $850, but donations are accepted in any amount. Volunteer guardians pay their own expenses to accompany veterans on their journey. Volunteers are also needed for departure and homecoming celebrations. Veterans and volunteers can apply to be included in an upcoming trip by visiting www.rockymountainhonorflightorg.

Castle Pines North resident Susie Ellison, far right, with fellow Rocky Mountain Honor Flight volunteers Phyllis Jensen and Henry Jones. Ellison accompanied elderly World War II Veterans on a trip to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.