West Islip WWII Vets on Special Flight to Visit Nation's Capitol

Three West Islip residents are among 193 World War II veterans from New England and New York heading to Washington, D.C. Saturday as part of the largest Honor Flight event to date. 

Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that flies veterans to visit the WWII memorial and other area monuments. The event was sponsored entirely by Ocean State Job Lot’s Charitable Foundation and customer contributions at the stores.

The total count of travelers on the trip was about 600 counting the veterans' “guardians” (volunteers or family members assigned to each veteran), active duty military personnel, medical personnel and other guests. 

Marvin S. Bochner, 89, U.S. Army veteran from West Islip; Gabriel B. Grenci, 86, U.S. Army veteran from West Islip, and John C. Zaccaria, 87, U.S. Navy veteran from West Islip, are scheduled to arrive in the nation’s capitol after embarking a flight from Long Island MacArthur Airport.

General Colin Powell, (Ret.), and U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos along with various senators and representatives were scheduled to greet the WWII veterans at the WWII Memorial, and the event culminates with a buffet dinner in the veteran’s honor at the Baltimore Airport Hilton.