Nearly $12K raised to send Elizabethtown WWII veteran to Pearl Harbor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Elizabethtown World War II veteran will get to take the trip of a lifetime thanks to some community support.

Stanley Parnell, 97, is a decorated Marine who was drafted at 18 and spent about 31 months serving in the Pacific during the war, including Guam and Iwo Jima.

Parnell was given the opportunity to go back to be honored for his service on the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The nonprofit Forever Young Veterans is planning the trip, taking 14 World War II veterans to Hawaii in December.

The trip costs $2,900 per person and includes airfare, lodging, transportation and meals. Parnell's children were also hoping to go with their dad on the trip, but they needed some help to make it happen.

After a WDRB News story aired Friday about Parnell, viewers raised nearly $12,000 to send him and his family to Pearl Harbor.

Forever Young Veterans is still fundraising for two more veterans to make the trip. Any extra donations will go toward their expenses.

To make a donation, click here. If you would prefer to make a donation through the mail, the nonprofit said you can print the donation form on its website and mail it in with a check.

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