Search for WWII veterans begins

HARRISON — The Veterans of Foreign Wars St. John Post 9326 Ladies Auxiliary of Harrison is working with Honor Flight New England to locate and identify Maine’s World War II veterans for the purpose of transporting these heroes to Washington, DC to visit and reflect at their memorials.

Honor Flight New England is a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices.

Lisa Villa, chairwoman of the Honor Flight Maine committee said, “We started our search informally, but decided to extend our reach state-wide. Our first application is from Delmore Maxfield of Harrison. Delmore served in France and received a Purple Heart and an Oak Leaf Cluster - essentially two Purple Hearts.

"He was hit by shrapnel when the building he was in was attacked, then after returning to duty he was again hit by shrapnel when his platoon came across a mine field. It’s been an honor to talk with him and to hear his stories. There are many more to be told and we want to honor these men and women.

"World War II veterans fought a war that threatened our existence as a nation and as a free society. With over 1,000 World War II veterans dying each day, now is the time to express our thanks to these brave men and women.”

According to Villa, “The State of Maine has one of the highest percentage of veterans in the country. We hope to raise the funds to send our veterans on this trip; it’s also our goal to increase awareness of the issues faced by all veterans, while honoring our World War II heroes.”

Joe Byron of Honor Flight New England is going to present a program on Lake Region TV in September to provide more information about the organization and its mission. Copies of the program will be distributed to cable access channels throughout the state.

Please contact Lisa Villa at honorflightmaine@gmail.com or 776-3118 for an Honor Flight application or if you are interested in being a part of the volunteer team. To send a donation, please visit honorflightnewengland.org.

Photo:

Lisa Villa and WWII Veteran Delmore Maxfield.