Coronavirus won't clip the wings of the Veterans of Wings Over Wendys

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A group of veterans who meet every Monday morning since 2001 in the western San Fernando Valley weren't going to let the coronavirus stop them from coming together.

Wings Over Wendy's is a group of veterans, veteran supporters, aviation and military aficionados that honors all veterans past and present. They meet every Monday and Tuesday morning, 52 weeks per year. Starting in 2001 in the West Hills Wendys Restaurant they have only missed one Monday when the restaurant was closed for Christmas.

"It give veterans and the like an opportunity to get out of the house," Ed Reynolds, organizer of Wings Over Wendys told ABC7.

"It's that comradery, that shared experience ... that's what brings them there," Wings Over Wendys member Bob Donovan said.

With the serious nature of the coronavirus and the city wide shelter in place order taking effect, the weekly meetings looked as if they were going to become a thing of the past.

"It was pretty devastating for a lot of them because they live for it," Donovan explained.

For the first time in the group's existence meetings stopped for three weeks, until Ed Reynolds came up with an idea.

"My family went on Zoom the last two Saturday nights, so I spent this last week trying to learn Zoom," Ed said.

Ed mastered the basics of Zoom and the webcam and with that, Wings Over Wendys took flight again allowing its members to come together once more on a Monday.

"If you couldn't shoot them down with a German 88, coronavirus is not going to take these guys out of the fight," Bob told ABC7. Proving that you really can teach an old dog new tricks.