They made landfall in Normandy, storming the beaches like ants on an anthill — against unrelenting gunfire. They crouched in foxholes in Bastogne, switching socks every chance they could so they wouldn’t lose their feet to the cold. They slept on the dirt, clutching their rifles for safety.

As World War II raged, they quickly became brothers while fighting side-by-side, representing their country proudly and with dignity. Together, they mourned loss, witnessed unspeakable violence and braved bone-chilling winters. The uniforms on their backs symbolized unity, bravery and, most off all, freedom.

These men who fought for our country now are dying at a rate of about 1,000 per day. We are losing a very important generation of our history. The last shots of World War II were fired nearly 65 years ago, and many of these heroes are terminally ill or reaching the ends of their lives.

Many of these men have been honored, to be sure, but they always deserve more. Who can argue that they deserve one last expression of gratitude for their sacrifice.

That is the mission of a nationwide, nonprofit organization called Honor Flight. Its mission is to arrange for the transportation of World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to view the national memorial dedicated to their service and sacrifice. Many of the veterans who fought in World War II have never been to Washington, but Honor Flight wishes to change that.

Honor flight has been setting up hubs all across the U.S. dedicated to organizing and raising money for these flights. And much to the delight of our locally based patriots, Dubuque recently became a hub for Honor Flight. Dennis Avenarius has been named hub director of the Greater Dubuque Area, and he is busy arranging the first flight from Dubuque.

Avenarius said a 737 jet is chartered for May, and he estimates around 100 WWII veterans from the Dubuque area will take the trip, along with about 30 support staff. They are in the process of raising $70,000 in donations to pay for the trip.

“There is no cost to the veterans; we will leave at 7:15 a.m. on the day of departure and return at 9:30 on the same day,” said Avenarius, who added that the trip always is “quite a moving experience.”

Avenarius said Honor Flight intends to include Korean and Vietnam veterans in its future endeavors, but there is a sense of urgency, for obvious reasons, in first serving the WWII veterans.

Honor Flight accepts donations on its website, www.honorflight.org, which also provides valuable information for the veterans themselves. So, if you know a WWII veteran who has never seen the monuments dedicated to their service, refer them to this website.

The World War II Memorial would be a starting point for these former soldiers, but they also will see the Korean War Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Wall.