By Pamela Donar
I enjoy traveling because it allows me to get away, eat, drink, and simply enjoy myself. However, every now and again, a tour comes along that moves and humbles me.
Since 2004, The Greatest Generation Foundation was founded with the aim to admire, support, and provide emotional closure to veterans by returning them to the battlefields and memorials where they fought at no expense to the veterans. As a result, in 2017 The Greatest Generation Foundation and Cunard Cruise Line formed an alliance to honor World War II soldiers, whose numbers are rapidly declining.
Cunard Cruise Line has a long history dating back to 1840, including transporting troops during World War I. Cunard lost 13 ships while transporting 900,000 American troops to Europe. Today Cunard Cruise Line operates the luxury cruise ships Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth which continues to celebrate the freedom of travel on itineraries that explore Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, and is the only line to offer regularly scheduled Transatlantic service between New York and London.
July 17, 2017, The Greatest Generations Foundation hosted a dinner at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in New York City for 12 World War II combat veterans and two Vietnam combat veterans. The party had a private tour of New York City which included the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. One year later, those 14 distinguished war veterans and The Greatest Generations Foundation boarded the Queen Mary 2 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. The veterans’ once-in-a-lifetime trip would continue for seven days, culminating in Southampton, England. Each day, two World Combat II veterans would take the stage in the grand theater to speak about their war experiences to crowds.
Continuing the tradition, Cunard will pay homage to World War II soldiers on the Queen Mary 2 from June 5 to 12, 2022, in conjunction with The Greatest Generation Foundation. Guests on this seven-night cruise will be able to attend lectures and engage with numerous WWII veterans, learning firsthand about their wartime experiences. These outstanding combat veterans will engage in conversations and Q&As, providing attendees a very personal view into military duty. Veterans from the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars will be a highlight of this crossing.
Some of the participating veterans scheduled to be on board will include: Steven Melnikoff, 102, who served in the 1st Battalion, 175th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division and earned three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his service. Louis Bourgault, 97, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 1, 1942. Bourgault experienced combat operations in Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima during World War II, and spent 15 years in the Coast Guard auxiliary. Irving Locker, 97, U.S. Army was assigned to the 116th A.A.A. Gun Battalion that landed on Utah Beach on June 7, 1944, fought in the Battle of the Bulge with the 1st Army’s 7th Corps. James Blane, 98, Corporal of the 4th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps and served in the battles of Kwajalein (Roi-Namur), Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.
To find out more, contact New Millennium Travel at 908-245-5770 or https://www.newmillenniumtravel.com
Author: SWal Life
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