Abby Guasti, Crestwood Medical Center Senior Circle and Healthy Woman Coordinator had the privilege to escort World War II veteran, Cpl. Julius W. Cotten to see his memorial in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Cotten was a Raider in the US Marine Corps. This once in a lifetime opportunity was made a reality by the Honor Flight Tennessee Valley, part of the National Honor Flight Network. Thanks to the Honor Flight Network the future looks bright for our country's World War II veterans.

Honor Flight serves the nation’s Veterans by taking them to Washington D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial, free of charge. The mission of the Honor Flight Network is to transport America's veterans to the nation’s capital to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices. With the continued support of grateful Americans, by the end of the 2009 flying season in November, HFN transported more than 35,996 veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam to see the memorials built to honor their suffering and sacrifice to keep this great nation free and a world leader.

The April 24, 2010 flight was the 10th for the Tennessee Valley chapter, who has made this trip possible for over 1000 veterans in this area. Based on recent 2008 statistics, we are losing World War II veterans at the rate of approximately 1,000 per day. Honor Flight‘s goal is to do whatever it takes to fulfill the dreams of our veterans and help our senior heroes travel absolutely free. This act is just a small token to show appreciation to those who have given so much to their country.

Abby Guasti, Crestwood Senior Circle & Health Woman Coordinator,
with Honor Flight Honoree World War II veteran, Cpl. Julius W. Cotten.