El Dorado man among World War II veterans on 14th Heroes Flight

“The BGC Heros Flight trips were established to show sincere appreciation to our military heros for the sacrifices they made to defend our freedoms.” — Brad Brookshire

TYLER, Texas — An El Dorado man, Bill Howard, an Army World War II Veteran, is among a group of 24 World War II veterans who will be escorted by Brookshire Grocery

Co. to Washington,

D.C., Monday through

Wednesday on its 14th

Heroes Flight. BGC provides the all-expenses-paid trip WWII veterans to honor them for their service and sacrifices.

In addition to visiting the WWII memorial, the group will also be led on a guided tour of the U.S. Capitol by Congressman Louie

Gohmert (R-Texas).

Other points of interest will include Arlington

National Cemetery and the Air and Space

Museum, along with the

U.S. Marines, Navy, Air

Force, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean War, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials.

BGC has taken nearly 400 veterans from Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas to Washington, D.C, since establishing the Heroes Flight program in 2010. Veterans selected for this trip are from the Tyler, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana areas, along with one from El Dorado. Several BGC employees will also accompany the group as guardians.

“The BGC Heroes Flight trips were established to show sincere appreciation to our military heroes for the sacrifices they made to defend our freedoms,” said Brad Brookshire, BGC chairman and chief executive officer. “We want to honor these veterans by taking them to see the memorials built in their honor because we truly cannot say ‘thank you’ enough to this deserving group of men and women.”

A send-off event will begin at 8:45 a.m. Monday (Memorial Day) at Shreveport Regional Airport, located at 5103 Hollywood Ave. The group is scheduled to return around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The community is invited to send-off and welcome home the veterans.

Other veterans scheduled to make the trip include Glen Uzzel, Army, of Tyler; Jack Warren and Jim Magness, both Navy of Longview, Texas; Jodie Fulton, Navy, of Tyler; Joe McGraw, Army, of Longview; R.D. Lewis, Marines, of Lindale, Texas; Kellis Walters, Coast Guard, of Canton, Texas; Russell VanMatre, Army, of Hideaway, Texas; Wayne Luther, Navy, of Longview;

Bud Tucker, Navy, of Columbia, Louisiana; C.J. Hamaker, Air Force, of Shreveport; Cleauthor Sanders, Marines, of Shreveport; Cliff Birchfield, Army Airforce of Shreveport; Elmer Carr, Navy, of Shreveport; Jim Holdcroft, Navy, of Bossier City, Louisiana; Joe McDoniel, Navy, of Benton, Louisiana; John Reis, Navy, of Farmerville, Louisiana; Justin David, Navy, of Shreverport; Paul Madden, Army, of Shreveport; Mary Melson, Navy, of Shreveport; Olan Wise, Air Force, of Bossier City; Ray Urban, Marines of Bossier City and Thurman Smith, Navy, of Shreveport.