Vettes for Vets

I was privileged to be a part of the 4th Annual Vettes for Vets this past July 12 at the Veterans Affairs home in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. I arrived with the Central Jersey Corvette Club contingency.

Over 100 corvettes and their owners from many of the different Corvette Clubs in New Jersey assembled the cars at an off-site location and then descended enmass upon the facility where dozens of veterans were waiting to see the parade of Corvettes from the 1950s through to the Z-06. You can just imagine the look on their faces as about 120 different Corvettes drove past them and then parked in the parking lot.

The veterans then strolled around the grounds or were assisted in their wheelchairs to inspect the colorful array of these beautiful cars. This has become a yearly event that the vets look forward to. It was fun talking to them. There are so many people from different walks of life, but they all have one thing in common. They served their country, and they served it well. It is the least that we can do for them, even if it is just once a year, to let them know how much we appreciate what they have given.

And, just as an aside, did anyone ever figure out how old "Tony From Italy" is? I'm going to guess 90. From the facts he gave us, he was probably about 12 years old when he arrived here (without his parents) from Italy in 1930
(he couldn't have been much younger...leaving his family behind...could he?) and then he served in WW II...so I am guessing he was in his early 20s in the 1940s...by the way, this Vet served 4 years as a POW over in Germany. So that puts him in the 90ish bracket. What a character!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to next year's visit!