You have my deepest respect Hendersonville, NC.

[Hawkwind]

Just watched this...and choked up something fierce.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n2036299.shtml

(CBS) Veterans Day Came a little early this year for a group of World War II vets from North Carolina, aged 79 to 102. As CBS Sunday Morning contributor Bill Geist reports, they journeyed to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

They were there because Jeff Miller, a local businessman in Hendersonville, N.C., started a campaign in March to send every World War II veteran in the country who wanted to see it.

"Sixteen million served in World War II. Now there's probably just a little more than 3 million alive," he says. "They're dying at a rate of anywhere from 1,200 to 1,500 a day so, yeah, there was a lot of urgency."

After all, the memorial was built for them.

"I look at it this way," Miller says. "Everything good I have in my life is because of them — I mean everything. We wanted to take the veterans there to the World War II Memorial who had not been — that was the number one thing — and that had financial or physical limitations, or both. ...

[narcsarge]

I went to see this memorial 2 years ago this Christmas. I grew up 20 minutes outside of DC. I have visited all the Memorials more then once so I just had to put this one on the "to do" list when I went back home. It is gorgeous. Not as inspiring as the Vietnam Memorial. Something about those black granite slabs. Anyway, Hendersonville is like so many small communities in NC. Real sense of patriotism and small town pride. The true 'heart' of America!

[Lowrider]

my grandad was in queens dragoon in england, and he fought in armoured cars in italy and africa, he's got some amazing stories. i have mega respect for all those guys, and i kinda feel sorry for germans because atleast there general army was humain and just normal guys, following orders, the rest of the germans (ss etc.) seemed nasty.