May 27, 2004 By Josh Krysak 4 min read

When a local veteran first contacted Joe T. Joseph more than a year ago about attending this weekend’s World War II Memorial dedication, Tribute to a Generation, in Washington, D.C., Joseph never realized what a venture he was beginning. Thousands of phone calls and 650 veterans later, Joseph, president of the Uniontown American Legion, and his wife, Loretta, have organized one of the largest contingents in the nation to attend the memorial, using four buses, a train and other methods of transportation.

The convoy will travel to the nation’s capital Friday along with nearly 1 million other veterans in a pilgrimage to pay a final tribute to the comrades who did not return during the largest war in history.

“It took countless hours to get this coordinated,” Joseph said. “And I’m not working with people in the best of health. We will have people in wheelchairs, people with severe illness, people on oxygen all attending this event.”

About 800,000 veterans are expected to make the trip to the memorial dedication, and Joseph said the names of about 6,000 area World War II vets will appear on the expansive 7.2-acre monument.

Homer McCabe, 80, of Uniontown, who will travel by bus with Joseph’s group, said he enlisted when he was 18 years old and spent all his time in the Pacific aboard the “Lucky” USS Santa Fe, patrolling the Barren Sea for Japanese submarines. He said he is looking forward to the memorial dedication.

“This has been a long time coming,” McCabe said of the pilgrimage and the memorial itself. “It is long overdue.”

McCabe said his ship bombarded enemies on the Pacific islands and were engaged in more than 20 “dogfights.”

“We were a lucky ship, the Lucky Santa Fe. Our captain even volunteered to take us into bad spots,” he said.

McCabe said that one of those dogfights, the battle of Tarawa, was the most horrific during his service and something that has changed his life.

Tarawa was the first major amphibious assault in the Pacific in which U.S. troops faced sustained opposition on the beach. And, the 2nd Marine Division suffered terrible casualties in the fight, with more than 1,000 dead and more than 2,000 wounded.

“That was a terrible battle,” McCabe said. “There were so many killed, so many Marines killed.”

But McCabe said he never regretted his decision to fight to protect the American way of life.

“I’m glad I joined,” McCabe, a ship gunner, said of his service. “We volunteered after Pearl Harbor. We wanted to go get ’em. It was definitely an adventure.”

Since many of the veterans traveling to the dedication will never make the trip to Washington, D.C., again, Joseph arranged for a four-day bus tour that will allow the veterans, all in their 80s, to see the sights and highlights of the nation’s capital.

In addition to the World War II Memorial, stops include the U.S Capitol, the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, the FDR, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean and Jefferson memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the Kennedy Center and National Air and Space Museum.

Joseph said he has worked to ensure the safety of all the veterans making the journey, noting that guides and assistance will be provided throughout the four-day trip.

“This is probably the last time these guys will be able to get together with their buddies,” Joseph said. “This is going to be a great trip. We are going to see every site.”

He added that fewer than 5 percent of World War II vets will be alive by 2009 and that more than 1,200 of the war’s veterans die every day. Fewer than 4 million of the 16 million World War II veterans are still living.

Joseph said he is working to present each of the local veterans who will attend the event with a flag upon departure Friday morning as an additional honor to their sacrifice.

The following is the bus pick-up schedule for the tour:

– 6:10 a.m.: Edenfield Stages Garage in New Salem

– 6:30 a.m.: Uniontown parking garage, along Church Street

– 7:15 a.m.: Belle Vernon Hoss’s Steak House

– 7:30 a.m.: Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier

– 7:45 a.m.: Leah’s Personal Car Home in New Stanton