Help Donna Jo Honor Our Brave Veterans

Hidey Ho from Donna Jo! In the midst of a life storm that I never could have imagined for my family, God continues to amaze me with His timing & His plans. I have had this wonderful opportunity on my to do list for 10 yrs. So getting the call now had me question if I would be able to do this with couple big life detours in my way. Then God reminds me that with Him ALL things are possible!!

I have been selected as a Guardian for Honor Flight to accompany a veteran who served in the US Armed Forces on a 3 day journey to Wash. DC. Every aspect of Honor Flight is 100% volunteer based. While in DC we take them on tours of war memorials, to military museums & special dinners where they are honored along side veterans from across the USA. Honor Flight pays all the expenses for the veteran but guardians are responsible for their own costs of flights, hotels, meals etc. I was selected just before Covid, but trips were suspended until 2023. Many if not most of the veterans are physically challenged and/or wheelchair bound. Very few WWII veterans are still with us, but there are still Cold War, Korean & Vietnam vets that were never properly thanked for the sacrifices they made for our country.

I am excited to do this in honor of my Dad & my hero, Joe Lewis Lawshe who joined the Army in 1940 at the age of 31 at the start of WWII. He served 4 yrs in Germany & France, landing on Normandy on D-Day. He came home to no ceremony or recognition of any kind. He was handed a small severance check & told to go back to living life as if the horrors of what he had just experienced had never happened. Dad did not talk about it, but I did manage to get a few stories from him that even Mom had never heard. Once in grade school & once again in high school I told him I needed them to get an A in history which was my favorite subject. Both times he shared a couple of stories quietly & with sadness. I felt guilty for asking him seeing how hard that was for him, but am thankful I have those plus many mementos to share with my children & grandkids. Because of my Dad & all the veterans, we can enjoy the freedoms our country has today.

I am honored to share this wonderful opportunity with these special men & women.

I am sending this as we are asked to have family & friends share our journey w/us thru donations. I was selected in March & wasn't sure I could go until I got the ok from my Ortho Dr last wk. I am behind schedule in getting this out as the trip is quickly approaching April 22-24. It's not easy to ask for $$, but I consider this a gift to our beloved veterans, not to me personally which makes it easier for me to do. Please do not feel obligated to donate, but if you do I am extremely grateful for your help as I embark on this short but memorable trip of a lifetime for them & for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being in my corner & my life.

I Love You All Beyond

God is Good ALL of the Time

#dontmisstheoranymoments