A Moving Experience I'll Do Again

 My dear friend, Betsy, asked if I would like to go to the airport with her to pick up her husband and her son.  Well of course.  Little did I know that I would be hooked .  What an experience!

The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May of 2004, the World War II Memorial was finally completed and dedicated in Washington, D.C. and quickly became the topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.

Earl repeatedly asked these veterans if they would ever travel out to visit THEIR memorial. Most felt that eventually, somehow, they would make it to D.C., perhaps with a family member or friend.

An idea is born!  CVG took it and ran as did the rest of the country.  We got there about 15 minutes before the plane was to arrive.

A crowd of about 500 people dressed in red, white, and blue...holding flags...and signs for their loved ones.  We talked to people around us and heard some pretty awesome stories.  one man had over 30 members of his family waiting.  Another carried a flag that was draped over the casket of a solider that had passed away two weeks before the flight.

 

Ruby, Betsy and I waited.  While we waited one of the coordinators made a statement that changed my night.  She said that some of these Heroes had never had a proper welcome home.  It was our chance to do that.  We were to clap for the first hero all the way to the last.  I was wondering how I was going to do that and take pics too.  Not to mention wipe my eyes.

 

We could hear the drums and then the bagpipes.  I think there were 80 on the flight and 30 of those were in wheelchairs.  Some of the Veterans in wheelchairs were crying.  Pretty many of the escorts were wiping tears.  At one point a Veteran of the Korean War hugged me and said 'these are all happy tears'.  I hugged him even tighter.  There was one Veteran from World War I that had on his uniform.  I lost it them totally.

And then our Hero saw us!  He was so shocked.  We were so proud!  I was living in a Hallmark commercial.

And another Hero from our church, Herman.

I loved these girls dressed in period costumes!  And Dewey was loving every minute!  He would still be there dancing!

 

Dewey and Richard, his oldest son, getting ready to join us.

We got to hear about there adventure all the way home.  And I have a strange feeling that Dewey is still telling stories to this minute!

 

 

This is only the beginning of the ceremony.  I decided that it was way more important to show my respect than to take pictures.  I am hooked!  The flights go out 5 times a year.  I plan to make the next five arrivals and take my family members with me.  It is definitely something to remember!