180 Veterans die each day. Most have never visited their memorials in Washington, DC. Everyday, memories of the people who served in World War II, Vietnam, and the Korean War are disappearing from living history. Virtual Reality companies from around the world have teamed up in a program called “Honor Everywhere” to ensure the memorials are still accessible to these aging and terminally ill men and women via immersive stories.
Only 119,500 of the 16.1 million Americans who fought in World War II are alive as of 2023 according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics. These men and women are no longer able to physically travel to see their memorials in Washington, DC. Programs like “Honor Flight” provide these men and woman in person flights to the nation’s capital to visit their memorials but now, some of these aging Veterans are now too frail to make the trip in person.
Honor Everywhere in partnership with Honor Flight and virtual reality (VR) companies from the nation is an open sourced, free video collective that includes immersive virtual reality stories of the World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Arlington Cemetery, USS Nimitz, and Women in Military Service Memorials. The stories are narrated by Veterans most of whom have since passed away, but their memories live on forever in virtual reality.
Technology organizations including Healium have teamed up with ArborXR, BehaVR, Cleanbox Technologies, Healium, ManageXR, Mynd Immersive, Neurorehab VR, Penumbra, Inc., Rendever, USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Waya Health, XRhealth, and 18Loop to share or contribute content to the immersive video collective. From the comfort of their living rooms, VA homes or assisted living centers, Veterans are virtually transported to Washington, DC- just as if they were there in person- where they can tour the war memorials that commemorate their service and honor their fallen comrades. In the virtual tours, Veterans can hear the sounds of the Rainbow Pool, watch the changing on the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, and even tour the USS Nimitz while deployed in the Pacific Ocean.
Anything in virtual reality pales in comparison to seeing the memorials in person alongside your fellow Veterans. But for some of these 80- and 90-year-olds, VR may be their only option left to experience them.
Know a Veteran who wants a virtual tour of their memorial? Reach out to VAImmersive@va.gov, your local Honor Flight hub, or the VR companies listed above. Honor Everywhere is also available for download as an app on most virtual reality, mobile IOS and Android (2D version) stores by searching “Honor Everywhere”.
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