Well, folks, I just got back last night from one of the most fantastic three days of my life. I was accepted to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, DC.
On this outing we were taken to the Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Women's Veteran Museum, The Iwo Jima Monument, and the Air Force Monument. From there we were taken to the National Mall, where we saw the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean, WWII Monument and of course, The Wall. While walking around the WWII monument it started to rain. It did get a bit soggy. Fortunately, that was our last stop of the day, besides dinner. We were taken to Glory Days, a sport bar and restaurant. They were able to seat our tour (178 people) with lots of room to spare. We all were served a terrific filet mignon dinner.
Speaking of dinners, the first night we went to a VFW post in Virginia for a fantastic BBQ dinner prepared by a retired school principal and Baptist minister. Not only could he cook, he could talk pretty well too.
On Wednesday, we got up bright and early so we could arrive in time at Annapolis Naval Academy for the Colors Ceremony. From there we went into the main chapel which houses a phenomenal Pipe Organ. We got about a half hour concert. After that we got a bus tour of the grounds and then went on to Fort McHenry. From there we were taken back to the airport. This was the best time I have ever gone through TSA. Had to show my driver's license, they marked my name off a list and I went through. That was it.
The flight back home was not too exciting but we did get a view of some dramatic cloud formations. Upon landing, we received a water cannon salute from the airport fire department as we taxied to the terminal.
But what was perhaps the most exciting part of the trip was the Welcome Home event where people were lined up across the whole terminal, saying Welcome Home and shaking our hands. They call that "The Gauntlet". There was a group from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Sheriff's Office, the Fire Department and dozens upon dozens of friends, family and well wishers. There were balloons, flowers, signs and such. We gathered in the baggage terminal for some final photos and a welcome back speech by the commander of Vandenberg, then he said, "Mission Complete, Your Are Dismissed!"
We had two vets from WWII with us, one a survivor of the D Day invasion, no Korean War vets, bunches from Viet Nam, and a few from other actions, Desert Storm, etc.
Now, here is the commercial.
If you are a veteran, no matter if you were in combat or not, even a clerk/typist or a Jeep driver stationed in the US for your entire tour,
SIGN UP FOR AN HONOR FLIGHT TOUR AND GO ON IT!!!!!
Go to honorflight.org, find a local hub, fill out the application and submit it. You will need a copy of your DD214 and your driver's license. Pretty simple. The reason Honor Flight is there is for you. It is a group of very committed people who want to honor your service to this country. And they do it well.
Topic: Honor Flight (Read 93 times)