AARP urges thank you notes for veterans at D-Day Conneaut

Written by Laura Martin, AARP Ohio Communications Intern


Approximately 20,000 people gathered at Conneaut State Park this past weekend (August 21-22) to watch the annual reenactment of D-Day in Normandy, France, coordinated by D-Day Conneaut.

The reenactment aims to honor and commemorate the Allied and Axis soldiers who bravely fought in World War II, and AARP Ohio was there encouraging visitors to write thank you notes to our veterans.

Having the second largest veteran membership in the United States, “AARP Ohio attended the event because of the great appeal it has to our members,” said Doug Tayek, Associate State Director for AARP Ohio. “Wanting to pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives so many years ago for our freedom and prosperity, we wanted to help guests send thank you letters to veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.”

This short video* highlights the reenactment and the thank you messages from AARP members and participants of all ages.

 



 

The nearly 250 notes of gratitude written at the event will be distributed by Honor Flight, a non-profit organization that takes veterans on free trips to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials erected in their honor. Over 120 messages of thank you were collected on AARP Ohio’s Facebook as well.

Bill Catlin, a Korean War veteran and AARP volunteer, remarked about how important it is to show appreciation for our veterans whenever we can. “Now is the time to say thanks. With each year, more of our World War Two veterans are passing away. In the next five to seven years almost all of them will be gone.”

More photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page. For more information on D-Day Conneaut, please visit their website.

 *AARP's Video at D-Day Conneaut produced by Jerry Mann, Photographer