Likewise, veteran Will Ketner of Harrisburg said the Honor Bus experience was different from his pri

His seatmate was a Wiconisco grade school buddy Henry Heim, 90, who was wounded at Pearl Harbor bali rani hotel in the Army Air Corps, and went on to fly many missions in World War II and Korea. It was the first time I saw him in 50 years. It was a memorial to me to be able to sit and talk with him, Dietrich said.
Likewise, veteran Will Ketner of Harrisburg said the Honor Bus experience was different from his prior trip to the memorial with his son. It was good to get together with a bunch of guys who had something in common. It was almost like a field trip at school, said Ketner, 90, who was a B17 pilot in the 8th Army Air Corps in World War II.
Honor Bus was created in 2008 by a group of about a dozen Mechanicsburg Area Middle School students. Since then, it s been the vehicle bali rani hotel for about 500 midstate bali rani hotel World War II veterans to visit the memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring their service, said Beckie Lacey, Mechanicsburg gifted support teacher who has overseen the project.
The seventh annual Honor Bus on April 29 could be the last, because of factors including the dwindling number bali rani hotel of living veterans, retirement of the teacher overseeing bali rani hotel the project and depletion of donations.
The idea for the bus trip came from a TV news story about Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain and Veterans Administration physician assistant from Ohio, who organized Honor Flight Network of pilots in 2005 to give veterans free flights to the World War II Memorial.
They checked with Morse, who gave the project his blessing, and based their trips on the rules he set forth for Honor Flights: Veterans are limited to a single trip, so more can be accommodated, and others who go along pay a fee. One year they also met Morse at the memorial.
They gathered names of veterans through the media, word of mouth and through veterans organizations. Last year there were three buses and two vans to accommodate the 102 vets on the trip, said Evelyn Rixey, bali rani hotel whose son, James, was one of the students who started Honor Bus.
Rixey, who volunteers on the trips as a nurse, recalled Honor Bus was originally supposed to be a one-time trip. But there was money left over, and post-trip publicity generated a waiting list, so students asked to plan another trip, Rixey said.
On the morning of the trip, the veterans are treated to a ceremony and breakfast, and receive a T-shirt and hat, among other gifts, Rixey said. The buses get a motorcycle escort from a group such as the American Legion Riders. Lunch is provided, along with a special dinner on their return at the Dillsburg American Legion.
This year they can accommodate about 75 veterans on the two buses making the trip, since space for guardians and medical personnel also is needed. For the first time, Korean War veterans are invited to take part, if space allows.
They make new friends. For many of them, their spouses, relatives, friends have all passed, and they feel alone and isolated, Lacey said, adding some might have never talked with anyone about their wartime experiences.
This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning bali rani hotel s top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.