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VetsRoll coming to the Boone County Fairgrounds
Fire engines and flying flags line the overpasses as the VetsRoll motorcycle escort leads the way.
VetsRoll is back on Wednes-day, May 24, after the pandemic hiatus. In order to protect the health of very senior retired members of the Armed Forces, VetsRoll was can-celled from the time COVID shut everything down. In caution for the Veteran’s health, that hiatus continued until this year. Sadly, some of the veterans that had been chosen to participate in this event passed away before this year’s event.
Hundreds of cheering people in the Belvidere area have come to honor the Veterans in years past. The Veteran-carrying buses would stop in the Walmart parking lot as the final stop before they returned to their starting place in Beloit. The Walmart parking lot is too small to encompass both the Walmart shoppers and everyone who would come by to honor the veterans. Therefore, this year the Boone County Fairgrounds was chosen to hold this event.
The only gate open to welcome the veterans will be Gate 2 so those who plan to be there should come in that gate. There will be food available from Applebee’s. The motorcycle escort will pull into the Fairgrounds at about 6:15 p.m. and the helicopter will be there at about 7 p.m. The buses will also arrive about then as well.
As usual, police will block off ramp entrances on the tollway as the procession is about to go by and fire engines will line the overpasses with flags and members saluting the veterans. Every care is taken to keep everyone in the procession and their escort safe.
History of VetsRoll:
VetsRoll.org was conceived on Feb. 1, 2010, by John (spouse-Kimberly) and Mark (spouse-Darlene) Finnegan, co-owners of Finnegans’ RV Center, inc. in South Beloit, Ill. Finnegans’ RV Center was formed in 1969 by their parents, Cy and Barbara Finnegan.
Cy was born in Litchfield, Minn., and was a World War II Navy veteran (MM3) in the South Pacific Philippine Theater. Sadly, Cy lost a long and brutal battle to cancer in January of 2000; never having the opportunity to view the memorial that was built in honor of the WWII generation.
Barbara is a lifetime resident of Beloit and worked as an Army Signal Corps civilian office employee as a de-coder for the War Department in Arlington, Va. She later worked as a wiring cable lacer at Jorgensen Engineering in Beloit until the end of the war. Barbara was treated as a “Rosie-the-Riveter” (the mostly women who went into the work force during WWII to al-low more men to head overseas; keeping our factories running at capacity and indirectly leading to the Allied victory because we wore down the enemy) with the VetsRoll group.
Cy and Barbara met while Cy was attending a Fairbanks Morse Naval engine training school during the war and were married shortly after the war. Together, they raised 8 children (7 sons and 1 daughter) and actually endured the four eldest boys being in the service during the Vietnam War, although they all came home safely. They were married for 53-1/2 years, until Cy succumbed to cancer.
After Cy’s passing, John and Mark carried on the owner-ship of the family business, but always longed for a memorable way to pay eternal tribute to their parents’ generation …”The Greatest Generation.” John and Mark learned of the wonderful Honor Flight Network that raises money to charter commercial aircraft on one day, round trip flights to fly WWII Veterans to Washington, DC at no cost to the veterans. The Honor Flight program has ‘hubs’ located throughout America and has given America’s greatest heroes the opportunity to see their memorials before it’s too late.
In 2010, the average age of a WWII Era veteran was now in the mid to late 80s; time was not on their side. Sadly, it is estimated that this group of heroes is passing away at the alarming rate of 1000 each day. The Honor Flights have flown tens of thousands of these heroes to Washington, but the Finnegans believed the 18- to 20-hour days are quite long on someone of their age. Perhaps they could offer an alternative.
John and Mark felt they had finally received their calling and began calculating the logistics and expenses of offering a similar program to the WWII Veterans. Since the Finnegans are in the RV motorhome rental business, John and Mark looked at doing a 4-day trip by combination of charter buses and motorhomes. They shared their ideas with several others in their circle of contacts and kicked off VetsRoll.org on March 17, 2010, just 60 days before their planned departure of May 17-20, 2010. Veterans and volunteers began to sign-up and the donations started to come in and in just 60 days, VetsRoll.org had raised more than $90,000 to successfully schedule a caravan of nine motorhomes, three charter coaches and a support van, carrying 125 WWII veterans and Rosies.
Originally thought to be a “one-and-done” venture, demand for subsequent trips continued and the all-important donations kept coming and on May 16-19, 2011, VetsRoll 2 was carried out successfully with 200 veterans (now including the Ko-rean Era veterans, along with the WWII and Rosies) and 100 assistants on board 10 charter coaches, with a media coach and a wheelchair lift-equipped support van.
Beginning in 2012, the Culver’s restaurant in Beloit, Wis., initiated a Veteran’s Day Program to honor America’s veterans and to help support VetsRoll, Inc. That single event has grown to include more than 30 Culver’s restaurants in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois annually raising donations to support VetsRoll, Inc. during Veterans Day Week each November.
Annually, local fundraisers raise significant funds to al-low VetsRoll, Inc. to continue its mission and in 2017, the Tavern League of Wisconsin and its 5,000 members began statewide fundraisers to sup-port the VetsRoll Program, continuing to this day.
Each year, 200 more WWII and Korean Era veterans and Rosie-the-Riveters are treated to this trip; all at zero expense to the participants.
The trip allows veterans to experience closure, gratitude, and respect. The American veteran is one of our greatest treasures – the men and women who answered our nation’s call, especially at times of our greatest need. At VetsRoll, Inc. our mission is to thank and pay tribute to these heroes – especially our WWII and most senior veterans and Rosie-the-Riveters – by transporting them to Washington, D.C. over four days of honor and remembrance, at no cost to our heroes.
Unfortunately, the veterans and civilian volunteers of this era have never received the proper respect and gratitude that each and every free per-son owes to them. WWII veterans and Rosies are passing away at the alarming rate of 900-1,000 per day. These heroes are now in their mid-eighties to their mid-nineties and time is not on their side. At their advanced age, airports and flying can be an intimidating experience for the elderly.
While longer in trip duration, charter coaches can offer the flexibility of socializing, moving around, playing cards and board games, restrooms and more. At a maximum of three hours on any leg of the trip, the traveling experience will approximate the time on board an airplane (from boarding to de-boarding) and eliminates parking garages, security checks, long walks etc.
The VetsRoll four-day trip occurs every May, the Sunday through Wednesday preceding Memorial Day Weekend. Ten (10) chartered deluxe tour coaches and a paratransit van depart and return to Beloit, Wis. A total of up to 200 veterans and Rosies at no charge to them.
Your generous donations will allow us to transport our honored guests free of cost to the participants.
WWII Veterans, Rosie-the-Riveters and veterans through 1963 (active duty by 12/31/63 and honorably discharged w/DD-214).
Come join everyone in honoring the veterans who fought for our country as they pass through Belvidere on Wednesday, May 24.
