In March 2010 George and Maria Pry took Maria's grandfather, 87-year-old Roscoe Mulvey of Zelienople, to Washington, D.C.

There, the Legion of Honor awardee visited the World War II memorial, along with his wife, Marjorie, and three of the Pry children.

“He was proud, very solemn and quiet, taking it all in and reflecting on the gold stars (each representing 10,000 soldiers who were lost),” said George Pry of West Sunbury.

Maria Pry said the experience sparked an interest in all of them, especially his great-grandchildren. “He told them stories of the war and kept them wanting more,” she said.

But the Prys' interest in the memorial was not piqued until George Pry spoke to the veterans who saluted Mulvey at his funeral last spring.

“I realized that only one of the 20 of them had been to see their memorial,” he said.

That motivated him to learn more about a national organization called Honor Flight. Its sole mission is to honor wartime veterans with a cost-free visit to the war memorials in the capital.

Pry was familiar with Honor Flight through his sister-in-law, Diana Pry, who has been a board member with the group's Dayton hub for at least six years, he said.

Honor Flight has provided 159,703 veterans a free trip since 2005. But though there are 130 hubs in 44 states, there was no hub in Pittsburgh, a fact that inspired Pry to found Honor Flight Pittsburgh Inc.

“There is a ton of work involved,” said Pry, who had to form a nonprofit organization and meet certain criteria before the group can host its first trip planned for Oct. 8.

Rules dictate that enough funds must be raised so that all veterans travel for free; elderly or disabled veterans must be provided with guardians who pay their own way; and two nurses must travel with the group.

“Any veteran who has served in wartime is eligible, whether they saw action or not,” said Pry whose father served during the Korean War. “He didn't consider himself a veteran because he never went to battle. I want every veteran to feel that they are important enough to be on the trip.”

Though other Honor Flight hubs offer to fly their veterans, Pry said it is more practical to use buses to transport the group from Pittsburgh.

The bus will depart from the Zelienople airport.

In addition to raising funds, Pry's immediate concern is to get the bus filled by raising awareness and getting enough volunteers to aid the veterans through the application process.

An application form which is due Thursday, is available on the Honor Flight Pittsburgh Inc. website.

“Mr. Pry did all the administrative work,” said Jim Lucot, a history teacher at Seneca Valley High School, and a volunteer with the organization.

Lucot said he has secured significant pledges from at least six businesses, but needs more.

“We need to raise a minimum $8,500,” he said.

He has set himself a goal to do “something every day” to raise money and recruit veterans to fill the bus.

“I saw a sticker on someone's car and actually stalked him on the street,” said Lucot, laughing. “He's coming.”

Lucot plans to be on the bus, too. “Outside of a health crisis, there is no greater cause,” he said.

Other volunteers include organization Vice President Judy Novak of West Sunbury, a retired Navy officer; board members who will help with promotion, fundraising and completion of the veterans' application forms and advertising; and two nurses.

“Eight nurses have called so far,” Pry said.

Lucot, who happens to be a nurse, has a passion for teaching the next generation to appreciate and connect to veterans and has had many local war heroes speak to his classes.“I'd much rather hang out with guys in their 80s,” Lucot said. “But many of my World War II friends have passed away. We're losing so many of them so fast. If it (Honor Flight Pittsburgh) was started five years ago, a lot of them could have gone.”For that reason, Pry's priority is to get the World War II vets on the initial trip in October.Lucot agrees, but believes the veterans who need it the most are those who served in Vietnam and Korea.“Korean vets and Vietnam vets never got the 'Welcome home,'” he said, noting the political backlash toward Vietnam returnees. “The Korean vets came home in silence.”“That's why they call it the forgotten war,” said Lou McAfee of Cranberry Township. McAfee earned five battle stars while serving as a staff sergeant in the Korean War from July 1950 to September 1951. He has been to his war's memorial six times, but plans to go on the bus in October.On one visit, he schooled two Korean students who happened to be there and knew nothing of the war. “Before I knew it, there were 50 people surrounding me listening,” said McAfee.“The memorial means everything to me,” said McAfee.“We're putting up a wall with all the names of the KIAs, MIAs of all the countries who served in the Korean War,” said McAfee, who helped raise money and support for the project which will begin this fall.McAfee considers himself a “witness to the horror” of that war and realizes he is one of the few who can still speak on behalf of the 45,000 servicemen who were lost in the conflict.“I represent them,” he said. “I enjoy kneeling and praying at the memorial … I'm there for them.” He hopes others will take the opportunity to honor their comrades.Maria Pry said, “It is important to know the sacrifices they (veterans) made. My children are very aware of the wars and sacrifices and honor involved.”“Honor Flight Pittsburgh will pay for a police escort into Washington, D.C.,” said George Pry. “Several motorcycle groups also volunteer to escort the bus. It's a nice entry into the city.”Maria Pry knows the Oct. 8 trip will be one the veterans won't forget.In January 2010, she gave her grandmother a jar filled with slips of paper containing life questions. She said her grandparents sat together working on the questions for six years.Last July, her grandmother finally handed her a journal containing the answers.The answer to the question, “What was the most memorable place you ever visited?” was, “Our visit to the World War II Memorial with my husband and great-grandchildren.”

Honor Flight Pittsburgh Inc. will host its first bus trip to war memorials in Washington, D.C. The trip is free to all veterans who have served during wartime.WHEN: Oct. 8. Applications are due by ThursdayWHERE: Bus departs fromthe Zelienople Municipal AirportVOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are needed for administrative tasks and to serve as guardians.CONTACT: For more information or to apply or volunteer, call 724-355-3737 or visit their Website, www.honorflightpittsburgh.org, or Facebook page.