When I first heard about Honor Flights, I was attending a Vietnam Veterans Social Hour at our local Senior Center.
I had never been on one of these flights or even heard of them until that day.
As I listened to the stories shared by fellow vets, I knew I had to apply.
They told me, “You have got to apply right away. The next flight is in April.” Fortunately, I got on the April flight.
HonorAir is a non-profit organization that provides veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War with all-expense-paid trips to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials.
There are HonorAir organizations all over the country. Yes, even in California!
These trips offer veterans the chance to connect with others who have had similar experiences, creating new friendships along the way.
Here is the story of my HonorAir journey.
Pre-Flight
A few weeks before our flight, we had a pre-flight breakfast with about 130 veterans and the Honor Flight staff and crew.
At this event, we also met our escorts who would accompany us throughout the trip.
Only the veterans go on the flight; family members stay behind, but they are a big part of the pre-flight activities.
On the day of the flight, we gathered at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville at 6 am.
The check-in process was smooth, and we met our escorts and had a bite to eat before going through our own dedicated security entrance.
The staff and volunteers were incredibly efficient, especially in assisting those who needed wheelchairs or other help.
As the plane taxied out, we were given a water cannon salute by the airport fire trucks, a special tribute that moved many of us.
The flight to Reagan National Airport in D.C. was uneventful, taking just over an hour.
Arriving at the Washing D.C. Airport
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a crowd of people clapping, waving, and shaking our hands—a heartfelt welcome that many of us had never received before.
We were organized into groups by the color on our name tags and boarded our designated buses.
These buses took us to all the planned locations: the Air Force Memorial, Arlington Cemetery to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Marine Corps Memorial.
Each bus had a professional guide who provided fascinating historical insights as we traveled through the city.
The Vietnam War Memorial
The most emotional part of the trip for many of us Vietnam vets was visiting the Vietnam War Memorial.
Almost all of us knew someone whose name is on that wall.
For me, touching the engraved names brought back vivid memories of my fallen comrades.
It may be a difficult thing to understand if you have no experience of it, but the names on the “wall” are carved into the stone.
When I touched the names of my buddies, I could see their faces like they were right in front of me.
I could hear their voices. I was transported to scenes from our time together. I could actually smell the smells of the places we were in the war.
I was a very visceral experience for me!
There are fourteen guys from my company on the wall. Most of the rest of us who survived were wounded.
Mail Call
One of the highlights of our return flight was a surprise “mail call.”
Each veteran received a manila envelope stuffed with letters, cards, and notes from friends, family, schoolchildren, and members of various organizations, all expressing their gratitude and appreciation for our service.
This unexpected gesture was deeply moving, bringing many of us to tears.
But the biggest surprise awaited us back in Knoxville.
As we descended the walkway from the arrival area, we were greeted by hundreds of people, including a contingent from the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band, playing a grand welcome.
It was totally overwhelming!
We shook hands, exchanged hugs, and received salutes from active-duty military personnel and even very young children.
For us, this trip was far more than a tour of D.C.’s monuments. It was a journey through our personal histories, bringing to life memories of places, people, and times that shaped us.
The welcome we received on our return helped heal some of the bitterness we carried from our earlier experiences.
The HonorAir Flight was a profoundly emotional and cathartic experience.
It was a welcome home that many of us had waited over 50 years to receive.
If you get the chance to watch the video of our trip, you will understand the depth of our emotions and the significance of this journey.
For me, and many of us Vietnam vets, it was the end of a longer journey that began over 50 years ago with the way we were treated when we came home.*
For those interested, the photos and video of the trip are available on the HonorAir Knoxville website.
The HonorAir Flight 34 Photo Gallery is here https://honorairknoxville.pixieset.com/honorairflight34/
The video is 36 minutes long, with the welcome home segment starting at around the 24-minute mark.
I hope you take the time to watch and understand what this trip meant to us.
The Return of Vietnam Veterans (A Short History)*
Another reason this was especially important to Vietnam vets has to do with the way we were treated on returning home.
So many of us were welcomed home by our families and friends and then treated with indifference by others initially.
Indifference eventually turned into hostility.
The Vietnam War Memorial had to be created by Vietnam Veterans themselves.
Nobody stepped forward to do it. In fact, once the process got going, the Park Service, which manages the memorials in D.C. did not want that memorial.
They placed so many restrictions on the placement, construction of it, etc. they expected the vets to give up.
One of the restrictions the park service required was the memorial to not be visible to the roads going past it.
In other words, to be invisible.
We learned that detail from the tour guide on our bus.
That is why you cannot see this memorial until you come right up on it. It is below ground.
But it got done and it is a perfect memorial, I think.
It memorializes the men and women who died, personally by name.
An awful lot of us endured years of being discriminated against in hiring and other areas of our lives.
Being shunned at college and even worse, being shunned at Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and other similar venues.
During this time Vietnam vets were portrayed badly in movies, T.V. and by news people. It went on and on.
So, many Vietnam vets turned away from the VFW and similar organizations and created their own service organization, the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Here’s the motto:
Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
I am sure you can understand why so many Vietnam vets, myself included are bitter about those years.
We finally got a welcome home and what a wonderful one it was!
Wrapping Up
Thank you for reading and sharing in this experience with me.
I would like to wrap up by thanking all of you who sent me cards and letters that were in my welcome home envelope. I have saved them all and will cherish them forever.
Ken Guthrie
Semper Fi
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