Lone Eagle Hub brings Vietnam veterans to the nation's capital in the final flight of 2021.
American Legion Auxiliary National President Kathy Daudistel was recently connected with a Vietnam-era veteran she had never met. Her mission was to assist him, and blend in with his family, in experiencing the nation’s capital and its memorials to military service, while participating in the last Honor Flight of the year for the Lone Eagle Hub.
Honor Flight provides all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., for veterans. Bobby Bradley, chief operating officer of the Honor Network, explained that for the donation-funded program, “Right now our priority is World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans, and terminally ill veterans from all conflicts.”
As Honor Flights have shifted to serve more veterans from the Vietnam War, support needs have changed, Bradley said. “They may not need that physical care, so they are more of a travel partner … for that emotional support as well as the physical support.”
“My experience has been amazing,” Daudistel said. “I always wanted to bring my dad on an honor flight, and he never got to go, so I feel like I was hooked up with a male veteran for a reason. He’s talking a little bit … (and) I’m listening to all the other veterans and their stories. It’s just an incredible experience.”
Travel partners pay their own ways, while the veteran’s expenses are entirely taken care of. Honor Flight hubs are regions where volunteers come together to facilitate participation in the program. Lone Eagle Honor Flights serve the veterans in areas where there are no hubs. The Lone Eagle program flies veterans into Baltimore one day, visits the monuments in our nation’s capital the next day, then flies them home the following day.
Although the exact visits vary depending on what’s going on in Washington at the time, the veterans are ensured that their trips will be worth the effort, Bradley explained. “We always promise our veterans that they will get to see the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, and they will get to see their memorials.”
The Vietnam War Memorial wall, Korean War Memorial and the National World War II Memorial are on the agenda. On the November trip of Lone Eagle, veterans were also able to see the memorials in Washington and northern Virginia that honor the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and women veterans.
A range of emotions pours out when veterans revisit memories of events that happened many decades ago. “There is a lot of pain and turmoil that is sometimes brought up, but there is a lot of healing that happens here and a lot of that is left here.” Bradley said. “While honor flight started as a way to honor our veterans, we found it’s a way to change a family’s dynamic … because there is so much pain and hurt that is left here that when they leave, their families saythey come back as changed individuals.”
One of the most impactful locations that the Honor Flight participants visit is Arlington National Cemetery where they see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Four veterans from the flight are chosen in a drawing to have the honor of placing a wreath at the tomb.
Vietnam War Army veteran Jerry Watson of Van Buren, Ark., became emotional about seeing the changing of the guard. “I’ve heard about it all my life, and I’ve always wanted to see it, and I didn’t think I’d see it,” he said. “It was more than I expected. I appreciate everything our country has done for us.”
Army veteran Steve Blanchette of Sacramento, Calif., who served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, said he first found out about Honor Flight from a veteran friend who belonged to The American Legion. He is happy he acted on the suggestion. “Absolute memories,” he said when asked what he will take home from the trip. “The Honor Flight organization truly gave us a memory that will last a lifetime.”
- Honor & Remembrance