The group departs on a chartered flight out of Asheville to Reagan Airport where they will have a police escort to the WWII Memorial. Following the tour and a catered lunch, the group will tour the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial. The day long tour will end with the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Following this, the group will return to their waiting flight and return to Asheville.

Since the WWII Memorial was opened to the public in 2004, most of the remaining veterans living today have not had the opportunity to visit their memorial, which honors the sacrifice of 16 million Americans who served in our armed forces and the more than 400,000 who died during WWII.

Both Rotary Clubs of Tryon adopted this project to show in a tangible way their deep appreciation of the veterans of WWII whose service and sacrifice preserved the freedoms that Americans enjoy today.

Polk County veterans will be going on the next trip, scheduled for November 1, 2008. Assisting the veterans will be 33 &dquo;Guardians&dquo; who are members from the Rotary Clubs of Western North Carolina.

The &dquo;Guardians&dquo; are responsible for the care and comfort of the veterans throughout the trip as well as a physician and two E.M.T.&squo;s that will be on the trip.

All costs for the trip are provided by the Rotary Clubs of Tryon. Any WWII veteran who would like to participate in this Rotary program can send their name, address and phone number to: The Rotary Club of Tryon, P.O. Box 122, Tryon, NC 28782, or call Project Coordinator, Don Lyons, 894-2975.