Trench Rats Donate $1200 – Adopt-A-Veteran

Date: 6/25/16

Contact: chairman@honorflightnm.org

The Trench Rats, a fraternal honor society of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV Mesilla Chapter 38) has donated $1200 to sponsor a fellow veteran to go on Honor Flight of Southern New Mexico’s 2016 Mission this fall. HFSNM has been escorting veterans back to see their memorials in Washington, DC for nine years. They will be taking veterans from several local communities, including Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Silver City and Roswell as well as others across the southern part of the state and El Paso. HFSNM thanks the Trench Rats for their support.

The National Order of Trench Rats dates back to World War 1 and is symbolic of the rats those veterans faced in the trenches of France. They work to better the welfare of disabled comrades and their families.

Russell Smart is the Golden Rodent, or Commander, and Frank Rauber is the Red Eyed Gnar, or Secretary Treasurer of the local Trench Rats.

The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization originally created to honor America’s WWII veterans. HFSNM has evolved to include Korean War veterans; Vietnam veterans are also included as room permits. We thank and honor all veterans for their sacrifices. Currently, 1500 World War II veterans are dying each day across our nation; our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out. The Korean War impacted many thousands of veterans as well and we are actively seeking to honor them for their service and sacrifices. During the Honor Flight missions, veterans are escorted, at no cost to them, to Washington, D.C. to be honored at their memorials. Preparations are underway for this year’s mission and we are looking for veterans who have not seen their memorial and would like to make the trip. Guardians for these veterans are also needed to help make this a mission to remember!

The ADOPT A VETERAN program was started in 2012 and has enjoyed enthusiastic support with the community adopting 97 veterans in the first three years. The adoption fee is $1,200 and covers most of the Veteran’s expenses. Individuals or organizations that adopt a veteran will be listed in our banquet program and will be invited to the annual veteran reunion where they will be presented a plaque commemorating the donation. One may also ADOPT-A-VETERAN in memory of or in honor of someone special. You can help make this trip a reality for a veteran; donations of any amount are appreciated. The number of veterans we can accommodate each year is totally dependent on the funds we raise. For more information go to honorflightnm.org