WWII Veterans and Honor Flight - A Morale-Boosting Reminder of the Greatness of Everyday Americans (Must Watch!)
Submitted by Kathleen Gee on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 12:17
Daily Paul Liberty Forum
Warning: Watching This Video May Be Hazardous To Your Mascara!
http://youtu.be/FgecqttxoQg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgecq...ature=youtu.be
Edit: Video without background music (original sound): Honor Flight of South Carolina Arrival to Reagan National Airport (with original sound) - YouTube
When the WWII Memorial was finally completed in 2004, most WWII veterans were already in their eighties and were dying at the rate of 1,000 a day. Many of these members of the Greatest Generation didn't have the physical stamina or the money to fly to Washington, DC to see their Memorial...until Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain crated the first "Honor Flight" in December of 2004.
Earl was working in a small VA clinic in Springfield, Ohio, about 30 minutes from Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, where he was a member of the aero club. In December of 2004, Earl asked one of his World War II veteran patients if it would be all right if Earl personally flew him out to D.C., free of charge, to visit his memorial. Mr. Loy broke down and cried. He told Earl that at his age he would probably never get to see his memorial otherwise, and graciously accepted the offer.
Earl posed the same question to a second World War II veteran a week later. He too cried and enthusiastically accepted the trip. It didn’t take long for Earl to realize that there were many veterans who would have the same reaction. So he started asking for help from other pilots to make these dreams a reality. In January of 2005, Earl addressed about 150 members of the aero club during a safety meeting, outlining a volunteer program to fly veterans to their memorial. There were two major stipulations to his request. The first was that the veterans pay nothing. The entire aircraft rental ($600 to $1200 for the day) would have to be paid solely by the pilots. The second was that the pilots personally escort the veterans around D.C. for the entire day.
Read more at HonorFlight.org
From these humble beginnings, Honor Flight has grown into a nationwide program that has flown over 81,000 veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam to see their memorials in Washington, D.C.
Honor Flight outgrew the Wright Patt Aero Club and now exclusively uses commercial aircraft. When these Honor Flights arrive at Reagan National Airport, gate attendants announce them, encouraging those waiting at the gate for the next flight to greet the veterans as they deplane.
Here's a firsthand account of the arrival of one such flight on May 23, 2012, from a traveler who happened to be in the terminal. He describes it as a spontaneous "flash mob" of support for these WWII heroes.
Five or six people looked like they were officially part of the welcoming committee, and the rest of the people in the secure section of the airport were regular old travelers going somewhere. Then I had a terrible thought. What if these veterans came off the plane and just those five or six individuals were there to greet them. I walked a gate over to help see the veterans out.
But – then it happened and frankly, I wasn’t expecting it. All throughout the terminal, people left their gates and gathered around gate 38. A few active military personnel in plain clothes approached the gate attendant and politely asked if they could join in the salute within the jet way as the heros first stepped off the plane. Every human being in the terminal stood at attention and faced the door.
Someone held up an old newspaper from 1945 that had a banner headline that said, “Nazis Quit!” And when I saw that newspaper, I realized that World War II wasn’t just a chapter in a history book. It was men and women who saw an evil like the world has never seen before and traveled across the world to meet that evil. And they defeated it.
[...]
The first soldier walked through the door. Old, frail and needing help walking. And every person I could see in the entire airport stood and applauded. No – maybe cheered is more like it.
But here’s the thing – the applause didn’t stop. For a full 20 minutes, as veteran by veteran stepped out of the jet way, the US Airways wing of Reagan National Airport thundered in appreciation. Travelers stepped out for the opportunity to shake their hand while others held back tears.
When you find yourself feeling discouraged at the cheating and corruption we face in our fight to restore the Constitution, watch this video and thank your god or gods that cheating and corruption are all we're facing at this point. These veterans faced tanks, bombs, grenades and bullets on our behalf, and on behalf of our Constitution.
We have it easy.
If you are moved to do so, you can donate to Honor Flight here.
http://www.dailypaul.com/238365/wwii-veterans-and-honor-flight-a-morale-boosting-reminder-of-the-greatness-of-everyday-americans-must-watch