A nice story in today's paper; Bensalem, PA - Parx Casino Welcomed home 160 World War II veterans from their "Tour of Honor" a trip arranged for them to see the World War II veterans memorial. The outing was event was organized by the Honor Flight of Philadelphia. Here Glenn Fox of Lansdale wheels his father Samuel Fox of Warminster down the red carpet.
I had the extreme honor of being able to accompany a veteran on an Honor Flight in September. As my father's health would not allow him to make the trip, I signed up as a volunteer to accompany any veteran that needed a guardian and I was thrilled to be able to accompany a Korean War era veteran, CSM Henry on the trip. I was also honored to be able to help Mr. Henry honor his brother on the trip. Mr. Henry's brother was a very talented artist, he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. We (the Guardians) were not able to get a clear group photo, but I was able to snap this one while the official photo was being taken. Mr. Henry was in the second row, on the far right on the end, in the wheelchair. The other photo is of Mr. Henry and me in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. We were at the airport at 4:30 a.m. the day of the flight, and we got back at 12:30 a.m. the next morning. The place was packed with people waiting to welcome our veterans home, just like in the story above. It was so beautiful, and so emotional. The flight was meant to honor the veterans, but it was such an honor for me.
And because this is a WW II forum, I am including a photo of the Enola Gay. I was so excited when I got the call about the flight. As it turned out my precious father died five days before the trip. I decided that I'd made the commitment so I had to follow through, it took some the shine off of the trip - but I felt it was the best way that I could honor him, by honoring other veterans. Here is to Mr. Henry and my dear dad.
It was exciting, Slipdigit. And humbling, and satisfying. And I was so pleased that people turned out everywhere we went to cheer the veterans.
my avatar is a picture of when my dad went on an Honor Flight....when they got back, they had bagpipes playing, a super huge crowd cheering, noise !!, etc....the vets were surprised, I'm sure....it was like they were superstars, and they are ...!
First, I am so sorry to hear of the death of your father, Clem. He was a fortunate man to have such a thoughtful and caring daughter. I have to believe that he is very pleased that you chose to honor him by helping another veteran, Mr. Henry, on the Honor Flight. Did Mr. Henry get to see the Korean War Memorial?
Thank you, Tommy. I was the fortunate one. My father was an extraordinary human being, a wonderful father and the greatest example of how to live a life with honor. With the timing, I only had a short time to question what to do, and whether I would be able to do it, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy thing to do, saying good-bye to my dad, and the next day going on the Honor Flight, but in the back of my mind I could hear my hear him telling me, "Did you say you'd do it? Then do it." In retrospect, it was probably the best thing for me to do. Yes, Mr. Henry did see the Korean War Memorial. But what he really wanted to see was the WWII memorial in honor of his brother, and he wanted to find his cousin's name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, which we did. And then he wanted to see "his" memorial. He was born in Washington D.C. and lived there until he was 9 years old, then because of the Great Depression his family had to move to be near family in Illinois. He said he just wanted to see it once more. How can you not feel honored to be part of that?
Thanks, Biak. It brings a lump to my throat when I look at it. Freedom cost him his brother. He was weeping as he sat there, which is why I took the photo from behind, to give him some privacy.
