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Letter to the Editor
Tuesday September 7
AASP/NJ Member Organizes WWII Memorial Trip
Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) member Rick Allen of Rick Allen’s Auto Repair in Hampton, NJ, has organized a two-night bus trip for veterans to visit the recently opened World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip, which will take place October 2-3, has already grown to four buses of over 220 WWII veterans.“After the recent Memorial opening," Allen said, “I noticed many of my customers who were WWII vets would be sitting in our waiting room and discussing how thrilled they were with the Memorial. However, the majority of them also mentioned how they would love to go but couldn’t – be it for health or financial reasons, or the fact that they didn’t want to go alone. After awhile, I just decided to take it upon myself to try and put this trip together.”
Allen contacted several local businesses to see what kind of support was available. The trip would obviously be costly. He needed to know if the support was out there.
“At the beginning, it was a struggle,” he noted, “but now it’s come into its own. We’ve already raised $30,000 of our $35,000 goal and that was based on taking just three buses. So we’re still looking for support. We don’t want any of the vets to miss this. It’s the least we can do.”
The military has played a large role in Allen’s life. “The man who raised me was a WWII vet and my son is returning for his second tour of duty in Iraq in a few months,” Allen says. “So this trip is very close to my heart.”
Donations are still being welcomed. They can be sent to: VFW Post 5119, 179 Main Street, Glenn Gardner, NJ 08826. For more information, Rick Allen can be contacted at (908) 537-2242.
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