Tour of Honor – the final mission By Holly Shaffner There are few times in a person’s life when they can say an event was “life-changing” but that is how many guardians feel about their experience on Honor Flight San Diego. An able-bodied guardian is paired with a WWII or Korea War veteran to be their “battle buddy” for a threeday trip that is a weekend full of memories – for the guardian and the veteran. Honor Flight San Diego returned from their May 2019 trip after taking 83 veterans on their “final mission”. The Tour of Honor trip was provided by Honor Flight San Diego, a local non-profit organization that takes the most senior veterans and veterans who have terminal illnesses to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
It all starts at zero-dark-thirty when the veterans arrive to the airport and are greeted at the curb by Honor Flight volunteers to help them with their bags and push them in a wheelchair to check-in where they are greeted with a hug by their team leaders. And that starts the 72-hour whirlwind trip. They are flown by charter aircraft to Baltimore, MD and on this leg of the trip they receive a big surprise – Mail Call. They are given letters, cards and pictures made by local scout troops, elementary schools and organizations. But the ones that are most special are those from their family. Each veteran receives a package of mail and they open every envelope and handle every letter and picture with great care.
The trip is more than just visiting memorials - it is also a time for these veterans to make new friends, share their stories and build that military camaraderie they may have missed for the last 75+ years. For three straight days, they are thanked and appreciated for their military service.
When the flight lands at BWI, the veterans are greeted by the airport’s fire department with a water salute that is normally reserved for retiring pilots. As they exit the plane, there is patriotic music playing and active duty, veterans and other travelers welcome them to Baltimore.
Prior ABC San Diego military reporter Bob Lawrence went on the trip as a guardian for Navy Korea War veteran Bill Ohler. “Seeing the memorials through their eyes was inspirational,” said Lawrence.
As the veterans get through a gauntlet of well-wishers, they say that they have never felt so special.
“But the impromptu thank you’s to the veterans for their service was the most memorable.”
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SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / JUNE 2019
Little do they know more is coming.