Veterans get a send-off at Tampa International on the Florida Elks' Parade of Heroes trip
This year's trip to Washington, D.C., ahead of Veterans Day included a White House visit for the first time in the program's 16 years, the airport says.
TAMPA - Veterans leaving Tampa International Airport for the Florida Elks Association's annual Parade of Heroes trip to Washington, D.C., got a send-off from airport crews ahead of Veterans Day, the airport said in a newsroom post on Nov. 10.
The Tampa International Airport Police Color Guard stood at attention as the group prepared to board a Southwest Airlines flight, and TSA officers, airport police, employees and volunteers joined in, according to the post.
The trip takes veterans to memorials including the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After 16 years of the program, this year's group was also able to visit the White House, through an arrangement by U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the airport said.
"It's honoring, it's recognition, it's letting them know that they're not forgotten," said Rudy Masi, a past state president of the Florida Elks Association who helped organize the trip.
Among the travelers, the airport said, was Sterns Poor, a 98-year-old Marine veteran who has made the trip before and recalled placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Douglas Lang of Viera, a Navy veteran, said he was looking forward to the White House visit.
The post does not give the departure date or how many veterans made the trip.