RALEIGH, N.C. -
Over the next several weeks, about 300 World War II veterans from North Carolina will travel to the nation’s capital — many for the first time — to see the national monument that honors them for their U.S. military service.
 
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association, including several new-car dealers, banks and local media outlets, the Triangle Flight of Honor program provides veterans from the Triangle region of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill with an all expenses paid, daylong trip and flight to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
 
“We are honored to recognize members of the Greatest Generation,” said North Carolina auto dealer David Westcott, a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association’s board of directors, who also few Thursday with veterans from his home state. “This is another way franchised dealers have stepped up to be a part of the local community in North Carolina.”
 
The flights, which leave Raleigh-Durham International Airport in the morning and arrive at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, were scheduled for Thursday (April 6), April 19 and May 4. Each flight includes about 100 veterans, and includes visits to the Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, and return home later that night.
 
The Flight of Honor program has been implemented in several cities throughout the country, according to officials. The dealer association started its program last fall with two trips to Washington, D.C.
 
“These veterans saved the world,” said Robert Glaser, president of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. “We want them to know that we won’t forget their service to the country.”
 
For more information or to donate, visit www.TriangleFlightofHonor.com.