They manned anti-aircraft guns at Pearl Harbor, slogged ashore under devastating fire at Normandy and fought their way inch-by-inch up Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, then modestly returned home to resume their civilian lives as farmers and teachers.
Today, veterans fortunate enough to have survived World War II’s carnage are in their 80s or 90s. Many will never get a chance to see the memorial their grateful nation erected in 2004 to honor them, unless folks like us help.