Dunham was one of a group of veterans from across the country on a three-day honor flight trip sponsored by Meta. Many were blind or visually impaired. Each received a pair of the glasses to help them get around the memorials that honor them.
The glasses use built-in cameras, microphones and AI to read the wearer's surroundings and describe them. John Bockstanz, an Innovation Policy Manager at Meta and an Iraq War veteran, said blind and low-vision veterans can use them to hear what they're looking at and learn more about each memorial.
Dunham had been trying to locate Anthony, a friend he knew as Tony, who died while serving alongside him. His searches kept turning up a major who died that day. With the glasses, he dug further and found Tony on the wall. "I didn't know him well, but I felt like I did," Dunham said. "But I closed that loop today."
Meta has committed to donating 130,000 pairs of the glasses to visually impaired and blinded veterans nationwide. Bockstanz said veterans already report restored independence, easier trips through busy airports, readable restaurant menus and matched clothing.