Have you heard of an organization called Honor Flight ?
Do you know a WWII Vet or a Korean War Vet?
My fiance's father in law is a Korean War Vet, he recently turned 86 and had signed up for his Honor Flight. There is a considerable waiting list, especially down here in SW FL.
Last Saturday he went on his trip. We delivered him to the Ft. Myers airport around 6:15am, he was immediately whisked up by volunteers who got him signed in and he met his personal chauffeur for the day.
Each participating Vet is assigned a volunteer "chauffeur." They all board a flight to Baltimore, where they then board a bus to Washington DC to go around and view the monuments. They have a wheelchair for each participant and strongly advise them to use it, whether they are mobile or not.
He reported that there were approximately 22 WWII Vets and about 42 Korean War Vets on this flight.
All this is at no cost to the participant. Honor Flight Network is a non profit, doing what they do from private donations.
The return flight was supposed to get in around 10:30pm, the same day. They experienced a weather delay in Baltimore and did not arrive back, until about 01:00am.
There was approximately 1000 - 1200 people waiting at the airport for their return !!
A long "receiving line" was formed, there was a band, several groups of military "colors", veteran groups, family. The whole thing was quite patriotic. The opportunity to personally thank a Veteran and see the appreciation on their face was priceless.
I strongly encourage you to look into this if you know one of these Veterans, who would be willing to travel and take advantage of this opportunity. My Stepfather is also a Korean War Veteran, but he is just not the type to do something like this - as I suspect many others are unlikely also.
If you want a strong dose of patriotism, look up when one of these flights are happening in your area and go attend the return ceremony.
This quote is on their website, says it all for me:
“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they walk by.” – Will Rogers
My 84-year-old father just asked me to look into this for him when we had a Father's Day/Birthday party for him yesterday. He doesn't "do" computers so I'm his tech support. He's a Korean War vet. I found their website and plan to help him apply. Thank you for this information and I'm happy for your fiance's father-in-law that he was able and willing to make the trek!
A great and honorable organization
A very beautiful initiative!
My buddy's wife just took her 94 yo father (ww-II) vet.He loved it.very emotional for both of them.
From NY they visit the memorials then have a small dinner,spend the night in a hotel ,fly home next day.Each time they return the airport is full of support for these veterans.
These men and women aren't getting any younger,I encourage anyone as well to get the word out .
[Edited on 6/24/2015 by rongabbard]
