It was reminiscent of an Independence Day celebration — a hot, sunny afternoon, people wearing red, white and blue, and schoolchildren waving American flags.

While Monday afternoon was not a national holiday, it was a time for Romans to honor military veterans who served in World War II to protect our nation’s freedom.

More than 50 people gathered at the U.S. Federal Building parking lot on East First Street for a patriotic sendoff for a dozen veterans who flew to Washington, D.C. as part of the Northwest Georgia Honor Flight program, an organization created by volunteers to help serve and pay tribute to World War II veterans.

The Honor Flight program sponsors flights and tours of the World War II Memorial, which was created in 2004 and dedicated to the men and women who made immense sacrifices in the 1940s and have now been labeled “The Greatest Generation” by many people.

However, the local veterans gathering Monday to prepare for their trip were both humble and grateful for the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., and see the memorial first-hand.

“It thrills me that people are willing to do this for us,” said Bob Bennett, an 84-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Rome. “It’s special that veterans get to see that memorial, because a lot of people from our generation are dying off. I really appreciate this opportunity from the bottom of my heart.”

Clarice Long, formerly of Rome, currently lives in Cedartown. The 88-year-old veteran said she served in the Air Force during World War II, and it was a sacrifice she felt she had to make.

“I come from a large family. When the war started, two of my brothers were too old to serve, and one was too young to be drafted. I told my father, ‘Daddy, I want to go and serve my people,’” Long explained. “He told me that he would be very worried about me, but he said ‘You know that I am very proud of you.’ ”

Long said she worked in the communications center for a base headquarters, sending out messages all over the world. She said she was in Europe when the war ended, and she still vividly remembers coming back to the United States.

“We were on a boat coming home, and when the Statue of Liberty came into view, we all stood on the deck of the ship,” Long said. “We all cried when we saw that because we knew we were home.”

Billy Godfrey of Centre, Ala., said he served on a Marine aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater. Even though he is now 81 years old, he said he can still recall the emotions he felt during the war.

“I remember that some Japanese kamikaze pilots would come through almost every night,” Godfrey said. “I don’t know how they didn’t hit us sometimes. We had a ship full of high-octane gas and bombs and rockets. If we’d been hit, it would have been quite a fireball and none of us would be around today.”

Godfrey said he was looking forward to the trip to Washington, D.C., to finally see the World War II Memorial.

“This is my first time up there since 1947, and I’m just tickled to death,” Godfrey said with a big smile. “I thought today would never get here. I’m very patriotic, and things like this still make my hair stand up. That American flag really means something to me.”

Several local dignitaries spoke briefly to the veterans before they left on a van for Atlanta. The group flew out and visited the memorial and Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday before returning to Georgia.

Eddie Lumsden of the Floyd County Commission spoke for many people when he gave a heartfelt “thank you” to the group of veterans.

“I want to say thank you so much,” Lumsden said, his voice trailing off as he choked back tears. “I look around at all of you and I see my father’s and my uncle’s generation, and I know the sacrifices you made. That made a great impact on me, and I can’t thank you enough for all that you did.

“I want to thank you for the value you bring to our communities, and I want you to know how much we appreciate you.”

The veterans from Floyd County spent Monday night in Fayetteville and flew to Washington with other groups from around the state early on Tuesday. There are 74 veterans statewide who are scheduled to make the trip, and organizers said they received a “hero’s welcome” in Washington during their visit.

The Honor Flight program makes several trips to Washington each year, free of charge for the veterans, so that they may see the World War II Memorial and other memorials in the nation’s capital.

Area veterans who went on the trip included Sam Burrell, Jimmy Dupuy, George Slickman, Jack Runninger, Richard Hannay, Bob Bennett, Bill Fricks, Milton Tippin, Clarice Long, Frank Casey, Charles Graves, Billy Godfrey

read "Veterans moved by visit to Washington" by John Bailey