Our one and only Rocky J Squirrel was part of this entourage. Hip-hip-hooray. Here is a short article and a video clip of our great WWII boys who got the chance to go.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section...mp;archive=true
Note from roque riojas:
M-1--Hope this goes to you OK. Part of trip to
D.C. In the video the last one interviewed payed
for the trip for all that went, including meals.
If you have time just log on ,(honor flight),
Stars&Stripes. Rocky
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company
Rocky, What a proud moment for you and all the WW11 VETERANS.
What a shame it wasn't built eariler, so many could have been there with you. 
A Moose no longer alone in the Wolverine State.
Rocky, What a proud moment for you and all the WW11 VETERANS.What a shame it wasn't built eariler, so many could have been there with you.
Moose--I was also there for the dedication,May 2004,(SAturday), Monday
morning I was sent to the White House,Met Colin Powell then had a picture
taken with the President and Mrs. Bush. Yes indeed it was a PROUD MOMENT.
Rocky
Roque J.(Rocky) Riojas
M-1 I JUST MAILED YOU 4 PICS. TAKEN AT THE WW11 MEMORIAL. YOU
SHOULD GET THEM IN 3 DAYS. DIDN'T COME OUT TOO GOOD BUT I THINK
YOU CAN MAKE THEM OUT. ROCKY
Roque J.(Rocky) Riojas
Sigh.... My flash player has gone kaput. It keeps saying I need to update, but I already have. I've restarted and same old same old.
Eddie, picked a fine time to fly the coup.
B
God bless those heroes who suffered and died, for plain folks, like you and me.
War is a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.
Rocky,
I'm SO glad that you got to the chance to go to the WWII Memorial again!!
Here's an article on the Battle Of The Bulge veteran and mail carrier Roger Durbin who first proposed it:
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...5240355/-1/NEWS
Also - from the book "Their Last Battle: The Fight for a National World War II Memorial" by Nicolaus Mills:
"In telling the story of the National World War II Memorial, it is essential... to look at the big picture. At the same time, it is crucial to remember that this big picture is composed of numerous small pictures, often no more than snapshots, and that these small pictures contain a life of their own. Their importance was driven home to me time and again when I did interviews with the men and women working on the National World War II Memorial, but at no point so deeply as on a spring day in 2002 when I walked through a muddy memorial site with Jim McCloskey, the general superintendent for the project. As we got near the spot where the northern arch of the National Memorial was going to be built, McCloskey asked me to turn off my tape recorder, and he began telling me about the WWII veteran who had come by his trailer earlier in the week.
"He wanted me to bury his dog tags in the foundation," McCloskey said. "He was the 3rd vet who asked me this year, and I didn't tell him, like I didn't tell the others, that it was against government rules. I just took the dog tags and said I'd bury them under one of the arches." McCloskey, who had started out in the construction business 40 years earlier as a carpenter's apprentice, was not impressed with his own willingness to break the rules. What impressed him was the significance that the memorial had taken on for the vet, who had spent 2 days driving on his own just to get to Washington.
In succeeding years, when the significance of the National World War II Memorial in American life is debated, I do not imagine those buried dog tags will figure in many discussions. Jim McCloskey, who died of an aneurysm before the Memorial was completed, was not much of a talker, and he did not think it was his business to ask the veteran his name, or find out if the veteran had any family. Still those dog tags at the bottom of the Memorial do speak to us, and what they say about the National World War II Memorial and it's ability to reach across generations does matter..."
m2
m-2 I JUST READ YOUR INPUT ABOVE AND ALSO THE LINK AND I THINK BOTH
ARTICLES ARE VERY,VERY NICE. ABOUT THE DOG TAGS,I QUESS EVERYONE
HAS THEIR OWN FEELINGS ABOUT THEM. I HAVE MINE ON MY KEY CHAIN AND
I TOLD MY SON WHEN MY TIME COMES TO PUT THEM INSIDE THE FOLDED
FLAG AND THAT WAY MY KIDS CAN JUST TOUCH THEM AND WILL AlWAYS
REMEMBER. I LIKED THE SECOND VISIT A LITTLE BETTER THAN THE FIRST,
BECAUSE WE HAD A LITTLE MORE TIME TO SEE AND IT WASN'T CROWDED
LIKE THE TIME OF THE DEDICATION. IT WAS TRULY AN HONOR TO SEE IT
AGAIN. THE MARINE MEMORIAL WAS ALSO GREAT. SEEING THE FLAG RAISING
STATUE SENT CHILLS UP MY SPINE FOR IT WAS A PROUD MOMENT INDEED. ROCKY
Roque J.(Rocky) Riojas
M2:
Just read the linked story. Great stuff. Talk about persistence and determination. God bless that man!
Rocky:
So glad the second trip was a success, and you were able to enjoy it so much more this time.
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company
Rocky,
You SHOULD be proud!!! 
To quote historian Stephen Ambrose's description of our WWII citizen soldiers:
"They were the sons of democracy and they saved democracy. We owe them a debt that we can never repay."
That says it all, doesn't it?
M1,
Mr Durbin sure was an amazing guy. Just shows what one single person can put into motion with courage & determination. So many of us (and I include myself in this) too often say: "I'm only one person, what can I do?" Thankfully, Mr. Durbin didn't have that attitude!
GOD BLESS US ALL --AND-- GOD BLESS AMERICA ----THE BEAUTIFUL
A FORTUNATE DOGFACE THAT MADE IT BACK------------- 
Roque J.(Rocky) Riojas
That was great, Rocky. You were lookin' good.
Chris
Son of Francis "Combat" Stephens- Co. C 36th Combat Engineer Regiment
My participation with Honor Flight. What an "honor"!
Here is my correspondence with Fred and Pat Lue. Here we go:
================
WOW!
I just want you to know I am a War Baby. My birthday is Nov 20, 1943. My name is Fred Lue and Wife's name is Pat. I was looking for WWII music and your site is the best. We are involved with the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. If you are not familiar with this. The first flight is leaving the Quad Cities 1 Nov 08. We are flying WWII Veterans to Washington DC to see their Memorial before they pass. I thought it might be a good idea to do a CD with World War II tunes playing in the airport as they leave and come home. My wife's uncle will be on the first plane. I have a story to tell you.
We have a young son in the Marines. To get through his deployment, we started doing welcome homes at the airport with the Patriot Guard Riders. We wear Vest with our units that we serve with. We lost a flag on our van and when to a local flag store. We ran into a elder gentlemen looking for directions. He looked at my vest and said "I serve in the 7th Army and my name is Lou." I ask him what he did in WWII and he told be he drive supplies from the beach to the front lines. The German were shooting at me, but I didn't think that was combat! I said "Lou, that is combat!" I told him that there is an organization will to fly you to DC to see your Monument. He was surprise that someone is willing to sent him to DC to see this before he dies. My wife and I lost it. Tears Flowed. I gave him our telephone number and said call me.
Two months went by no call. When we found out her Uncle was on the list to go this November, I wondered if we could find Lou. My wife's Aunt said yes, I know the family. So off we went and we found him. I gave him an application and he is on this first flight!
Thank you for what this site means.
Pat and Fred Lue
===================
Dear Fred and Pat:
You sure made my day this morning. Yesterday was feeling pretty frustrated, due to the fact my WWII forum is down because of technical difficulties, and won't be back up and running for several more days. Then I get your email today, and viola, it sure made me feel back on top of the world.
Oh, yes, I am very familiar with the organization, and have information on my site about it. One of my dear vet friends, Rocky Riojas, used it recently! BRAVO!
I would be honored to send you a complete set of the music, so please send me your mailing information. Are MP3's fine? If so, they would fit on one disk (over 260 tunes!), and I could send them to you within the next couple of days. How's that for service?
Your letter was very uplifting, and yes, I got a tear in my eye too. I think it is serendipity (I also call it divine intervention), when an event occurs such as the one you described (running into that WWII vet on the street). This happens to me frequently, and I no longer think it is coincidence, but something of a higher level!
Well I need to run, lunch is calling. I look forward hearing back from you. Hey, when my forum is up and running again, may I use your letter?
Warmly,
Marion
===================
In the interim we sent various emails back and forth, here's more:
====================
Marion
So glad we could uplift your spirits a bit. MP3 format would be fine. Would it be possible to have two disks? What we want to do is play one at the Airport when they leave and when they come home. I am also going to see if I can get the flight crew of the plane to play it while they are flying to and from DC. I am send you some pictures of the Lue family, we have three boys, Jeremy, Ken, and our Marine. There are times when Mom and Dad go to functions that allow us to dress crazy. Here is our address:
ADDRESS AND INFO REMOVED
The head of the Marine Moms was out by you last week. She has a daughter going to college out there.
Here is our schedule for the flight.
There is a meeting on October 23, 2008 starting at 5:00 PM for the vets to meet there guardians. We are going to have a fire Truck with a huge American Flag on it.
One of the local guard units is going to try and bring a 105 Howitzer there.
The Building will be surrounded by American Flags!
I'll try and send pictures.
The actual flight is on Nov 1, 2008.
Up your chin up and things always work out.
I also sent you a picture of a unit from the mid-west that the PGR sent off. This unit is on their third deployment. One of the guys is on his fourth one.
Take care
Pat and Fred Lue
======================
Other correspondence was exchanged during this period, and the music arrived on time for the Thursday pre-event. Hope all goes well for the flight. Here's to a great bunch of folks. I am proud to be part of this and happy I could contribute to the project!
=============
Thank you. It is getting closer to Nov 1st. Everyone here is getting really excited! Thursday of this week the vet and guardian will be getting together to meet. I hope the music arrives and I will play it at the place where the meeting is. The Fire Department is letting us use a truck with a HUGH American Flag. The local National Guard unit hopefully provide military equipment for them to pass by. If I told you about this before, I am just so excited about this, I am having a senior moment or I am so happy for these guys.
Thank you again.
Pat and Fred Lue
=============
Marion
We did play your music at the sendoff and the Home Coming. I did pass cards out. I want you to know that one of the stations did a three night story about Pat's uncle. This has been an exciting year for the Lue family. Our sson will be coming home in December before his deployment.
I want to thank you again and I wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Pat and Fred Lue
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company
That was great, Rocky.
I would have liked to be there with you.
To do many photos and a big kiss on your cheek ! 
Vee 
Under every white cross of American Cemetery of Colleville (Normandy), sleeps a piece of Freedom
That was great, Rocky.I would have liked to be there with you.
To do many photos and a big kiss on your cheek !
Vee
Thank you Vee, It does make me feel nice to to be thought
of this way. I can almost feel your HOT breath on my cheek.
Capt. O HOPE YOU GET THE SAME TREATMENT I GET, WHEN
YOU "GET" MY AGE !!!!! YEAH Rocky--- 
Roque J.(Rocky) Riojas
