Within a week of returning from the trip I made last fall with the WWII veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington DC, I sent in my application to go again. The experience last September with that group of nearly 100 vets, flying to DC and touring the war monuments in the Mall area was remarkably gratifying. I am sure it brought back many bittersweet memories for those men and women who traveled to Washington that day. I find I cannot go to places that honor fallen service men and women, and not feel a sense of loss, and overwhelming gratitude for their sacrifice.
When I got home, I started recruiting everyone I know, to persuade them to send in paperwork to go on future trips. I knew there would be more Flights organzied for the spring, especially with so many military retirees here near Ft. Benning, who would hear about the experience. The first Flight in late September got a huge amount of media attention, and there was much flag-waving, with a welcoming crowd and military band when we returned after a long day of sight-seeing. All the publicity has been so good the foundation that provides the funding and planning for the flights is sending two seperate groups next month. There has been such a wonderful community response to support the program, and so many veterans applying to go on these one-day trips, there is even a wait list for a fourth Honor Flight.
The second flight is April 16. I will be going with the third Flight, on April 23rd. The organizers had a meeting over the weekend for all the people who will be going on the these trips, to provide information, and give the veterans an opportunity to meet with the people who are going as the support team. There is a group of veterans from the Albany area who will be going, and another group from east Alabama, in the Opelika-Auturn area. I met Mr. Anderson, the man I have been paired up with, and his family. I plan to contact him this week, set up a time for me to go and visit him, in Cusseta, below Ft. Benning. I did not get a chance to talk with him on Saturday, but know he will have an interesting story to tell.
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