Freedom Fighters

The World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., goes unseen by many of the very people it honors.

A group of Ector County students and community members wants to change that for some.

The group is trying to raise $95,000 for a day trip to escort about 150 World War II veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

As of Wednesday, the group has five students involved and 147 World War II veterans signed up to take the May 3 trip.

It’s all a matter of fund-raising and gaining volunteers at this point, said Ector County probation officer Shirley Rutledge, who started the grassroots campaign in fall 2007.

Many of the students involved said they’ve been fund-raising by selling tickets for a drawing for a trip for two to Las Vegas, as well as Valentine’s Day-themed soda cans with candy.

This weekend, some students plan to raise money outside stores like Wal-Mart.

In addition, the group has planned a road rally March 22 and a car wash April 5, but the details haven’t been ironed out yet, Rutledge said.

OHS junior Devin Mata, 17, who created the group’s shirts, said it’s important for the community to help out because people need to thank the veterans for their service by helping pay their way to the memorial.

He said the trip will help the community come together for a good cause much like when Odessa Police corporals Abel Marquez, Scott Gardener and Arlie Jones died after their response to a disturbance call Sept. 8.

Mata said the community faced so much hurt recently, and the trip may motivate people to contribute to something.

“This will bring us out of that sorrow,” he said.

Permian sophomore Kayla Worsham, 16, agreed, saying people in the community should support for the veterans because they fought for people’s freedoms.

“They’re idols — they’re what we stand for,” she said.

Richard Milburn Academy sophomore Bertha Ramirez, 16, said the trip may help the students involved receive better jobs after school and by traveling with the veterans students can learn first-hand what happened in World War II.

“Instead of learning it out of a book, you learn from somebody who was there,” she said.

Marcus Gutierrez, 19, former Odessa High student, said the trip would also help the students appreciate life more and understand how valuable life is.

Community members like Barbara Graff, Precinct 3 county commissioner, have offered support for trip idea.

Graff said her father, T.R. Craig, served in World War II and he died two years ago without seeing the memorial.

“It would have been great for my dad to have gone and seen that,” she said, noting she plans to help with the effort so others may see the memorial.

Everyone’s determined to raise the funds by May, Rutledge said, noting the date for the flight may be changed if not enough is raised in time.

“This is going to happen,” she said. “No matter what it takes, we are going to get this done.”

>> Ector County probation officer Shirley Rutledge and Sheri Lord, an administrative assistant in the Ector County Attorney’s office, have developed a grassroots campaign called World War II Freedom Fighters to have any World War II veteran living in or related to someone in the Permian Basin travel for a day to the World War II Memorial.

>> Rutledge said she got the idea from a CBS Sunday Morning segment where a businessman in North Carolina spearheaded a campaign to take World War II veterans from across the country to the memorial.

>> Rutledge said the trip will be made on a chartered plane and the total cost of the trip will be about $125,000. The group has raised about $30,000. The groups needs $95,000 to make the trip.

>> What: World War II Freedom Fighters trip to Washington, D.C. interest meeting.

>> When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

>> Where: Ector County Youth Center.

>> Call: Shirley Rutledge at 362-6356.

>> Call Veteran’s Services at 498-4015 if interested in participating or sponsoring the trip.