Valley group hopes to honor Arizona WWII veterans with video tributes

There is a group of Valley veterans that is trying to honor other American heroes - and they need your help!

The Veterans Medical Leadership Council gathers every November for a special luncheon and puts together a video to honor veterans from every era.

This year, they're attempting to include as many Arizona WWII veterans as possible!

Dave Rosenfeld, the VMLC Vice President and Army veteran, reached out to ABC15 after Nick Ciletti's story aired about Mesa WWII veteran James Peyton receiving an American flag .

"You ran an amazing piece on one of our amazing local WWII vets in Mesa and so it's like, 'hey, I gotta get my hands on this guy!" explains Rosenfeld.

Tom Eisiminger is VMLC's President and also a veteran who says the goal is to capture the veterans' stories, produce them for the luncheon, and give the raw video to family members so that they're able to honor and cherish the memories of these heroes.

According to the latest numbers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of 2020, 7,700 WWII veterans were living in Arizona, with the numbers going down each year.

"MacArthur once said, 'Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,'" explains Tom. "The greatest generation is fading away."

VMLC is hoping to get in touch with as many veterans as possible. They are asking people to contact them by mid-September so they have time to produce each video tribute.

To connect, click here.

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