The Patriots Salute to Veterans Association is a local organization, which has the sole purpose of honoring veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

To do this, the association has planned a parade and memorial service to be held In Columbus. Major General James E. Livingston, USMC, Ret., a Medal of Honor recipient, will be the grand marshal.

To finance these events, the association plans to seek funds from various local businesses, foundations and the general public. To provide an incentive for individual donors and to be eligible for grants from local foundations, the association made application to the Internal Revenue Service in mid-April 2013 for its designation as a non-profit organization. Having that designation would allow the donor to qualify for a tax deduction of equal amount.

The application has lingered at the IRS since mid-April 2013. The association has requested the  IRS to expedite the processing of its application but the request was denied. Thus, the association cannot offer a donor a federal tax deduction for any contribution nor can it obtain help from foundations.

The 82d Airborne Division Band wants to participate and is going through Army channels to seek approval.

Should the band be given the go ahead, the association will have to pay its travel and lodging expenses. As an overnight trip for more than 60 soldiers, expenses will total about $6,500.