Hawley and group of veterans leave for Patriot Trip to DC

Provided photos

BATAVIA – Assemblyman Steve Hawley greets veterans this morning in the parking lot at Batavia Downs before the group left for the annual Patriot Trip to Washington, DC.

The trip includes stops at the Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Eisenhower Towers, Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and World War II Memorial.

The group of 95 people will be gone from today through Sunday.

The group received a sendoff from the Batavia High School Band, which played patriotic music.

Some of the group pose for a picture before taking off on the trip.

Hawley has been leading the Patriot Trip since 2008. He created the trip after seeing how meaningful it was for veterans to see the memorials and landmarks in Washington, D.C. Hawley joined his father, a World War II veteran, on a visit to DC to see the war memorials.

“I am very excited to get this year’s Patriot Trip underway and to once again have the opportunity to bring local veterans to our nation’s capital,” Hawley said. “There is no better way to honor those who have served our country than to bring them to these sacred places and allow them to see firsthand the memorials built in honor of their service and sacrifice.”

Among the attendees on this trip is former Assemblyman Charlie Nesbitt, a decorated helicopter pilot from the Vietnam War.