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WWII Vet: 'Our Country Was Good to Me. I Wanted to Serve'

CBN

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The Honor Flight Network honors veterans across the country every year by bringing them to the Nation's Capitol.

CBN News caught up with a group of veterans from Ohio as they toured the World War II Memorial.

One by one, as the veterans filed off their tour bus, supporters greeted them with a hero's welcome.

Honorary advisor to the Honor Flight Network, Elizabeth Dole, was on hand to personally greet the veterans and to thank them for their service.

"My husband and I come almost every Saturday to the Memorial to meet the Honor Flight Network groups coming in," Dole said. "It's a wonderful program and gives them an opportunity to see their memorial."

The World War II Memorial is a place dedicated to veterans for their courage and sacrifice. The free trip comes courtesy of the Honor Flight Network.

"The World War II veterans, they were a generation that didn't feel they deserved anything. They just did their job. And they did a very good job. So this is a small token of paying them back," Jim Salamon,
director of the Honor Flight Network, said.

Some of the veterans CBN News spoke with went to fight overseas at the young age of 17. Decades later, you can still hear their sense of duty and love of country.

"I didn't want to wait for them to draft me, I wanted to go where I wanted to go," World War II veteran Bill Rueger Sr. said.

"Our country had been good to me. I wanted to serve it," World War II veteran Kenneth Hayden said.

Veterans took pictures, shook hands, and recounted events that forever changed their lives. Veteran Richard Goode remembered a close call he had during World War II.

"This Japanese suicide bomber was trying to hit a battleship over here, and he missed and hit the front of our ship," he said.

Rueger Sr. recounted the story of how he lost his brother.

"One of my brothers was killed at Guadalcanal. His ship was sunk. My mother never got over that and it affected the rest of us," he said.

Veteran Jim Bennett, who served during high school, said he will always remember this day when a special person was there to greet him at the memorial.

"It happened just a few minutes ago up here at the top, Elizabeth Dole came up to me and thanked me and hugged me," he said.

Having served this country for more than 70 years ago and now being honored at their memorial, many of them shared a prayer for America's future.

"Of course we hope for peace and prosperity," Bennett said.

Rueger Sr. said, "We need to get back to Christian values and, of course, it's very distressing to see what's happening around the world."

Hayden said we need to "re-establish the proper relationship with our Lord."

The Honor Flight Network always inspiring Americans to say "thank you" no matter what day it is.

"It's a great way to share your faith and to share your love for others, to help these veterans," Dole said.

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