By Sandi Latimer
Staff Writer
The Grove City Community Club raised $10,000 to send veterans on a Veterans Day Honor Flight.
James Sturgeon used the word beautiful a few times to describe monuments he saw on his recent trip to Washington DC. His companion, Larry Baird of Galloway, was impressed with the World War II monument. But most of all, the two Vietnam veterans expressed their thanks to the Grove City Community Club for sponsoring their trip on an Honor Flight on Veterans’ Day.
The Community Club, formed during World War I, known back then as The Great War, to support the troops. The members, all women, are still supporting the troops.
Instead of knitting socks, the women make noodles, their big fundraiser. That, coupled with some other smaller projects, helped the club raise $10,000 to send 20 veterans on Honor Flights to Washington DC.
An Honor Flight is a trip to Washington for veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars where they visit the various monuments to the various wars the United States has been involved in.
“The Washington Monument was beautiful,” said Sturgeon.
He expressed surprise at the nine-foot statues in the Korean War display.
“The statue of Iwo Jima was beautiful,” he went on. “And new this year is a tribute to the disabled.”
He had praise for the guardians assigned to the veterans to help make their day as pleasant as possible.
“Overall, it was just a fantastic day,” he said, to which Baird agreed.
The veterans had to be at John Glenn International Airport at 5:30 a.m. and didn’t get home until 11 p.m. They were greeted upon their arrival home by members of the Community Club
“It was a long day,” Baird said, but a memorable one. But he knew about that since relatives who are veterans had made the trip and told him about it.
Cindy Kanwar, the volunteer coordinator for Honor Flight Columbus, presented both Sturgeon and Baird large color photos taken of them during their trip.
