The 2017 Chevrolet Express 12-passenger vans purchased from Joe Basil Chevrolet have all the latest safety features, including OnStar navigation service, Bluetooth, backup alarms and cameras and running boards so elderly veterans can step up easier. Veterans in wheelchairs are transported in different vans that are specially-equipped and operated by trained drivers, he said.

The vans will have about $30,000 in vinyl patriotic graphics applied by Streamline Designs in North Tonawanda and paid for by the Basil dealership. The graphics include stars and stripes, the Disabled American Veterans logo and an eagle head and "God Bless America" on the rear doors.

"The people that are going to be riding in these vans did a lot for us," said Bill O'Brocta, the dealership's commercial fleet sales manager. "We've got to make sure they're in vans that are reliable, dependable and get them where they need to go."

The vans and their volunteer drivers provide round-trip service daily to about 25 veterans from Erie and Niagara counties, said coordinator Robert McTighe.

This year they're averaging over 900 patient trips per month and logging an average of about 15,000 miles per month, he said.