On May 16, over 125 World War II veterans will make a trip from the Rockford, IL / Beloit, WI area to the Washington D.C. to visit the DC area, and specifically the WW II Memorial. For nearly all of the vets, this will be their first trip to the Memorial; for many, this will be the first time that they have been formally recognized for the sacrifices they made for our country. The trip, organized by Vets Roll, a Rockford non-profit organization will be recorded and documented from a number of viewpoints, including coverage by WMTV - NBC15 (Madison, WI) and a number of photographers and photo-journalists.

I will also be on this trip. As a photographer, while I'm looking forward to the challenge of trying to capture the emotion of this incredible event in pixels and decibels, I have a greater interest in this trip. You see, my father, John Zore, is one of the vets being honored by this trip.

I'm delighted that he is being honored, along with over 125 of his fellow soldiers, male and female. I believe that it is time that we, as a culture, respect and learn from the people whose selfless service made it possible for me to sit at this keyboard, free to write from my heart without fear of reprisal if my attitude differs from what someone official might believe. Most of these vets are very humble men, if my father is representative to the group, so I'm delighted to be part of this trip to record this special time of recognition.

At the same time, I'm hoping for more. While I'm obviously biased, I believe my father is a truly remarkable man, so I'm hoping to record not just a general view of the common experience of 125 of our nations heros but to also the very personal experience of one hero. I believe this is the time that we need to listen to their stories and learn some life lessions, and I hope some of the photos, video, and audio will help us do just that.

Many think that the challenges that life throws at us are a good reason to give up, to surrender to mediocrity, to hopelessness, but his story tells me the opposite. World War II was not the end of trouble in his life... in fact, even the last decade since the photo above was taken has been a challenge. One year before the photo, he buried his wife of 35 years. Due to health issues, his house (my childhood home) was sold and he moved in with my sister and her family in Rockford. He survived a heart attack, quad-bypass surgery, a heart valve replacement, the onset of diabetes, and the loss of a leg.

While he has slowed down, none of this has stopped him. That mischevious smile still breaks out on his face. One that fellow radiomen on the aircraft carrier USS Langley saw in 1943. One that my mother shook her head about for 30 years. One that his children saw and told us something fun was going to happen. That sense of adventure is still there, years later.

That is a lesson I want to take into the second half of my life.

That's why I'm recording this trip. That's also why I'm hoping you'll join the two of us on this journey.

Photo Galleries
     Sunday May 16 -- Pre-trip gathering begins

     Monday May 17 -- 4 AM Reveille
     Monday May 17 -- On the Road. Someplace(s) in Ohio
     Monday May 17 -- Lunch for 200
     Monday May 17 -- Somerset OH and how we got there

     Tuesday May 18 -- Is it morning already?
     Tuesday May 18 -- The Flight 93 Memorial
     Tuesday May 18 -- The Battle of the Busses
     Tuesday May 18 -- Travel and Sightseeing in Frederick, MD
     Tuesday May 18 -- Dinner at the Francis Scott Key American Legion Post 11

     Wednesday May 19 -- Breakfast at 5:30 AM? If you are what you eat, am I toast?
     Wednesday May 19 -- Travel to D.C. and The Iwo Jima Memorial
     Wednesday May 19 -- The Lincoln Memorial
     Wednesday May 19 -- Arlington National Cemetary
     Wednesday May 19 -- Lunch and time to view the World War II Memorial
     Wednesday May 19 -- Group Photo Shoot at the World War II Memorial
     Wednesday May 19 -- Dinner at the Golden Corral, Mail Call

     Thursday May 20 -- Travel Home and Closing Ceremony

     Monday through Thursday AM -- Beth Norton Photos
     Monday through Thursday AM -- Roger Anderson Photos

Please note that all of the photos shown in these galleries are available at no charge via password protected download for participants in Vets Roll and their families, assistants, and Vets Roll staff. To protect the images of the participants, the photos are not available for general public use, except by prior permission by VetsRoll.org.

If you are a Vets Roll veteran, a friend or family member and would like a copy of any of the images shown here, please create an account on the Login page (The mailing address is only required if you want something physical sent to you). A single email will be sent to your account to confirm the information. Click the link to confirm and you'll be able to log in to the site. Once you are logged in, you will be able to see the same groups of photos with a link behind each that will allow you to download the photo. I'm also working to include an option to select prints, which will be provided at cost. My goal is not to make money on this, but to give the veterans who participated somethign to help remember and talk about the trip. Please be patient, as I'm was on the same trip with you and I'm still catching up!

In response to several questions, the images shown on the site are preview "thumbnails", intended for speed and simplicity. The acutal images are much larger, and are appropriate for images up to the largest poster sizes offered by many online photo print services. Since this level of photo quality takes up a LOT of disk space and most people are interested in all of the photos, I'll be providing a way you can download the individual photos you want starting on Monday, May 24th. For now, make a list of the image numbers you'd like, and I'll provide more information over the weekend.