With gear, including hand-decorated bags of snacks prepared by students from Holy Family School and American flag lap blankets, a busload of American military veterans boarded a bus bound for the nation's capital early Tuesday morning.
The veterans, who served in military conflicts from World War II through Vietnam, will visit the World War II Memorial and other sites including the Vietnam Veterans memorial.
Organizers said 57 Boyd County veterans, some accompanied by their spouses and children, gathered to make the trip, which was sponsored locally by McDonalds.
Holy Family third-grade teacher Sam Smith said for his students, many who met with the veterans Tuesday morning to hand out the snack bags prepared by nearly 130 students at Holy Family, the morning's mission carried an important lesson.
"It gives them an opportunity to understand everything comes with a price, and some people are willing to do that for us," Smith said. "The kids are happy to have the opportunity to let them know they are thankful for what they did for them."
The bus of veterans and their guests are expected to return to Ashland late Wednesday evening.
