Gold Cross Participates in Honor Flight for World War II Vets

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Three Gold Cross paramedics will be accompanying a group of World War II veterans from southeastern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa on a flight to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. The trip is in conjunction with the National Honor Flight program and the centerpiece of the trip will be an opportunity for these World War II veterans to personally tour the memorial constructed in their honor, the World War II Memorial at the National Mall.

The one-day trip is open to all World War II veterans in the region and departs from Rochester. Veterans are escorted and cared for by guardians (volunteers) who accompany them as they visit the World War II, Iwo Jima, Korean, Lincoln and Vietnam memorials.

Guardians pay their own way for the trip while, according to Honor Flight organizers, all expenses for participating World War II veterans are covered by donations. Honor Flight explains that "Donations from World War II veterans will not be accepted, this is a gift from us to them for what they have done for us; they have given us a free world. When President Roosevelt addressed the nation and said: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the empire of Japan," their lives were forever changed. Now it's our turn to pay them back.

Gold Cross will pay the travel costs for the Gold Cross paramedics who will be accompanying the World War II veterans. The Gold Cross paramedics will be responsible for providing medical support to the veterans in the event the need arises during the flight and on the ground should it be needed prior to local emergency medical services (EMS) arriving while in Washington D.C. Buses will transport the World War II veterans to various sites of interest throughout the day. A Gold Cross paramedic will be on each bus along with an array of medical equipment and supplies that may be needed. While in Washington, D.C. the Gold Cross paramedics will coordinate and work closely with local EMS.

The three Gold Cross paramedics accompanying the World War II veterans are military veterans themselves. Doug Haffield, a registered paramedic with Gold Cross in Duluth, is a veteran of the U.S. Army who served during the Vietnam War and will be accompanying the flight. Haffield says, "It is an honor for me to accompany the many heroes who will be on the flight to Washington, D.C. I think as a nation we have too long down played or maybe even ignored the service and personal sacrifice these World War II veterans gave on our behalf. It is humbling for me to be able to accompany them and in some small way serve them."

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Arlington National Cemetery statistics, about 1,200 World War II veterans pass away each day. The youngest World War II vet is 80 years old. In another 5 to 10 years it is likely that most World War II veterans will be gone.

The sponsoring organization for this special flight, Honor Flight Network, now in its fourth year, says it "is committed to positively changing the lives of World War II veterans with a trip to Washington D.C. to visit their (veterans') Memorial." Honor Flight has safely transported over 5,000 veterans to our nation's capitol. More information about Honor Flight is available at www.honorflight.org. Honor Flight receives no corporate sponsorships or government subsidies and is funded solely by private donations.

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