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HONOR FLIGHT TAKES MORE WORLD WAR II VETERANS
TO WASHINGTON D.C. -- American Warrior group
pays
the bills to honor dwindling group of heroes.
RUSSELL INZINGA gives Hayden
Griswold a trim as the two World War II veterans swap stories
Thursday morning at Inzinga's Manchester barber shop. Inzinga, 85,
served in the Merchant Marine and Griswold, 85, in the Army.
(photo: JOHN WOIKE) |
For previous stories about Honor Flight, use
the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/ses
search.php?q=honor+flight&op=ph
Story here...
http://www.courant.
com/news/local/hc-ctstatevets0
915.artsep15,0,4396933.story
Story below:
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WW II Veterans Flying To D.C.
'American Warrior' Group Pays The Bills To
Honor Dwindling Group Of Heroes
By JIM FARRELL
Courant Staff Writer
As a member of the Merchant Marine, Russell Inzinga made 18 trips across
the Atlantic aboard the E.B. Alexander, which delivered troops to fight
in World War II.
Now 85, Inzinga is proud of his service and excited about yet another
trip - this one today, when he will be among 100 World War II veterans
flying at no charge to Washington, D.C., for a day of touring and
reminiscing.
"It feels good to be recognized," said Inzinga, who has spent 57 years
as a Manchester barber and still works 30 hours per week. "I still have
my health, fortunately, but there are not a lot of us veterans left."
Dubbed Connecticut Honor Flight, the trip is sponsored by American
Warrior, a charitable group founded recently by Christopher Coutu, 31,
who spent three years in the Air Force and is now a member of the state
Air National Guard.
"I'm excited for them, and for their generation," said Coutu, who works
as a financial planner in Niantic.
After arriving at Reagan National Airport at about 10 a.m., veterans
will visit the World War II Memorial, which opened in 2004 in to honor
the 16 million Americans who served and the more than 400,000 who died
in that war.
Scheduled stops after lunch include the Vietnam and Korean war
memorials. After flying back to Bradley, the veterans will be bused to
Norwich for a celebration in Franklin Square that is to include
patriotic music.
"I'm really excited," said Melvin Stevens, 83, of Bloomfield, who fought
with the U.S. Army at the Battle of the Bulge and received two Purple
Hearts.
"I came within a heartbeat of being wiped out three or four times," said
Stevens, who noted that he has never been to Washington and feels
blessed to have survived the war.
Traveling with the veterans will be 50 volunteer guardians, who are
paying $300 for the day and are responsible for helping with comfort and
safety issues.
Stevens said he would be accompanied by his son, Paul, who recently
retired from the Air National Guard.
Edmond Grandahl, 88, who served with the Army Air Corps, said he has
been to Washington on business but never to sightsee. Grandahl worked in
the manufacturing industry for years but is now retired, and is keeping
busy by pursuing a master's degree in history at Central Connecticut
State University.
"It's a real treat to get to go down there so we can appreciate all of
the sacrifices, especially of those we've lost," said Grandahl of West
Hartford.
According to Coutu, there are about 72,000 World War II veterans in the
state, but more than 7,000 die each year.
Coutu said he decided to create American Warrior in part because his
grandfather's brother, Edward Coutu, was moved into a convalescent home.
"I said, `This is not the way it should be,'" said Coutu, adding that he
has a close relationship with Edward Coutu, 89, who will be on today's
trip.
For Inzinga, the trip is especially meaningful because mariners of the
Merchant Marine were not officially recognized as veterans until the
late 1980s.
"For all those years, we weren't getting any benefits at all," he said.
Inzinga said his first Atlantic crossing was memorable because, after
dropping off 12,000 U.S. troops in Scotland, the ship picked up 7,000
Canadians and sailed in a convoy toward Sicily. While in the
Mediterranean Sea, the convoy was attacked by German planes. Inzinga
said that while his ship was unscathed, another in the convoy was
damaged and had to be beached.
Part of the intrigue about Saturday, Inzinga said, is the possibility of
meeting another crew member from the E.B. Alexander, or perhaps someone
who traveled on the ship.
"I'm looking forward to seeing someone that maybe I saw before," Inzinga
said, adding: "The day will be over before you know it, but I'll
remember it for a long time."
Another trip to Washington for veterans is being planned for the spring.
For more information, visit
www.americanwarrior.us.
Contact Jim Farrell at
jfarrell@courant.com.
Honor flight web site here...
http://www.honorflight.org/
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
