Patriot Trip included nearly 100 people – veterans and their families
Photos courtesy of Steve Hawley
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley is pictured with veterans at the US Marine Corps War Memorial as part of the 12thPatriot Trip organized by the assemblyman.
Hawley his 12thPatriot Trip from Thursday morning until Sunday night. There were 94 veterans and their families on the trip. More than 1,000 people have attended the trips since Hawley started leading them in 2008.
The Marine Corps War Memorial is located just outside of Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial is based on the iconic photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. It depicts the six soldiers who raised of the American flag at Iwo Jima in the Japanese Volcano Islands on February 23, 1945. It marked the conclusion of the American campaign in the Pacific during World War II. The memorial is dedicated to “the Marine dead of all wars and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them.”
Assemblyman Hawley is pictured with veterans who served during the Vietnam War.
The trip costs each participant about $450 per person, which covers the cost of staying in a hotel, riding the bus, and the meals over the four days.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2-acre U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C.
Hawley, veterans and the veterans’ family members left from Batavia Downs at 7 a.m. last Thursday. They spent four days visiting historical sites such as Arlington National Cemetery, the Capitol and the Vietnam War Memorial. The group made a stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to visit the battlefield, and then headed to the Air Force Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia.
“This trip is consistently one of the highlights of my year,” Hawley said. “I’m grateful to spend time with our heroes and visit some of the most important sites in our nation’s history.”
