Brookshire Grocery Co. to Sponsor WWII Heroes Trip

Brookshire Grocery Co. will sponsor a Brookshire’s/Super 1 Foods WWII Heroes Flight in May that will take 33 World War II veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial and other sites.

This is the third such trip the company has sponsored. The two previous flights in 2010 departed from BGC’s headquarter city of Tyler, Texas. The majority of this group will depart from Shreveport, La.

“Previous trips were so rewarding for all of us we’ve decided to do it again with a new group of veterans,” said Rick Ellis, Brookshire’s CMO.

He noted that the response from veterans desiring to go in May was overwhelming. “We received more applications for our May trip than we could possibly take,” Ellis said. “While we wish we could accommodate all on this trip, we’re simply unable to do so and many are on a waiting list for possible future flights.”

BGC executives recently met with the veterans selected for the trip, as well as volunteers – many employees of the grocer -- who will be assisting them, to explain the details of the trip.

The flight will take place May 10-12, and there is no fee for the veterans or volunteers selected for the trip.

In addition to the World War II Memorial, the group is expected to visit the Iwo Jima, Women’s, Lincoln, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the United States Capitol, and the Air and Space Museum near Dulles International Airport.

“We are very grateful for the service provided by these veterans,” said Ellis. “The freedoms we enjoy today were defended by these veterans and many others from different conflicts.”

“Most of these veterans have never had a chance to see their memorial [The World War II Memorial was not built until 2004.] “We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity to these 33 from mostly north Louisiana. We realize time is of the essence for this generation. While there’s no way of having an exact figure, estimates are that we’re losing them nationally at a rate of about 1,000 per day. We don’t have a lot of time left to honor them in this way.”