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W.Va. veterans see memorials built in their honor

Times-West Virginian photo by Emily Gallagher World War II veteran Charles Holtz wipes tears from his eyes after visiting the Marine Corps War Memorial. Holtz served on Iwo Jima.
Times-West Virginian photo by Emily Gallagher
World War II veteran Charles Holtz wipes tears from his eyes after visiting the Marine Corps War Memorial. Holtz served on Iwo Jima.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s not too often that when a memorial is built in someone’s honor that those people get to see the memorial in person.

By the end of the day Saturday, 92 veterans, some who served in World War II and the Korean War, got to see the memorials that were built in their honor. The Clarksburg Honor Flight took these veterans to Washington, D.C., at no cost to them to visit nine memorials.

Those veterans, who are mostly from North Central West Virginia, experienced a day of emotion and pride.

Some veterans looked at the memorials showing no emotion, but knew first-hand why those memorials were built and knew what it was like to experience those wars. Others showed their emotion with smiles and some even tears.

The first shock came when the plane landed in Washington D.C. As the veterans walked off the plane, they were greeted by hundreds of people including several servicemen.

With smiles on their faces, veterans walked through the line shaking hands and continuously hearing “thank you for your service.”

Several veterans said they were surprised by the welcome after they landed in Washington, D.C.

“I was not expecting that,” World War II veteran Robert Lefever said. “I never got anything like that; it was wonderful.”

The first stop on the trip was to the World War II Memorial…

Click here for many more photos from this moving event.

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