Six El Paso Veterans take on D.C. Honor Flight equipped with Meta AI smart glasses
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Six visually impaired veterans from the Borderland are heading to Washington, D.C. for an Honor Flight, equipped with artificial intelligence-equipped glasses from Meta to help them experience the nation's monuments in a whole new way.
Meta reached out to local non-profits in El Paso to identify blind and visually impaired veterans who served in the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
For many of the veterans gathering Saturday at El Paso International Airport, it had been years since they last stepped onto an airplane. But after decades of life and military service across the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, boarding a commercial flight brought no hesitation.
"Hey, I flew in everything that would fly in Vietnam," said Raymond Black, one of the participating Vietnam veterans. "So, you know, nothing bothers me when it comes to flying."
While waiting for departure, the six veterans spent time meeting one another and exchanging war stories. For Raymond, the journey carries personal significance beyond seeing the sights—he plans to visit the national monuments and pay his respects at the national cemetery where his uncle, a World War II veteran, is buried.
"I think it's great," Raymond said of the opportunity. "You know, we didn't get a lot of help for a long time. But this is... I think this is good."
To enhance their visit, Meta presented each of the six El Paso veterans with Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses. The technology allows users to interact directly with an onboard AI assistant to interpret their physical surroundings.
"They'll be able to say things like, 'Meta, read the plaque to me,' or 'Meta, what am I seeing?'" explained Lauren Zimmerman, a representative for Meta. "And it'll explain to them that they're looking at the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument."
When asked what was more exciting—the flight itself or the new technology—Raymond didn't hesitate.
"Probably the glasses, because I'm just about blind, so this helps me a lot," Raymond said. "I used to do a lot of genealogy, but I've gotten to a point where I can't see anything anymore. But now I can put anything up in front of me and ask Meta, and she reads it word for word."
In addition to sponsoring the Honor Flight alongside local partners, Meta says it is donating more than 130,000 AI-equipped smart glasses to blind and visually impaired veterans across the United States in time for Veterans Day. Company representatives noted that this represents the largest single device donation in Meta’s history.
"The goal at Meta is to connect our veterans with the resources we have to help them live more independently," Zimmerman said, noting that while Honor Flights operate out of El Paso throughout the year, Meta plans to extend its tech partnership to support more veterans in the future.
With caretakers by their side and AI technology in hand, the six El Paso veterans are now en route to the nation’s capital to see their respective memorials in a brand new way.
