Hanging with the Greatest Generation (Part 2)

The day got a little better with each moment. We were at the back of the plane and as we arrived in DC, we were told we would be the first to exit. That meant first off the plane and the first to make a bathroom stop. We never passed up the opportunity for a bathroom stop.
Once off the jetway, we were greeted by members of the USO and others welcoming us to DC. Then we made our bathroom stop and had a nice photo opportunity with Miss North Carolina.
Outside the airport were three motor-coaches waiting to take us throughout DC. The real treat though had to be the police escort. They lead us all around the city, blocking off streets and on-ramps as flew through DC in record time, something to make any DC commuter envious.
As we arrived at the WWII Memorial, Howard mentioned that his daughter and grandson had driven down from Pennsylvania to meet-up with him. After we exited the bus, we say his family. And in one of the first acts of selflessness, Howard, without even a hesitation, hugged his grandson, who appeared to be about 10, and promptly removed his hat and removed the Triangle Flight of Honor pin and proceeded to put it on his grandson’s jacket. It was very touching.
We took a few group photos, had the chance to hear from Senators Robert and Elizabeth Dole and spent the rest of the time walking about the monument. I was treated to some great stories about the WWII graffiti – Kilroy was Here, the relief carvings depicting scenes from the war and we took lots more great photos.
Following this visit, we were off to the Marine Corp Barracks. This is the home of about 1,200 Marines who serve on the Silent Drill team, the President’s duty and also as the burial team at Arlington. While there we got to see a special performance of the Silent Drill team, which was A-mazing. Once they completed, we had a chance to meet the Marines and chat with them about the 4-months, 12-14 hours a day training they went through to be on the drill team, a very select assignment.
We took more photos with the Marines and they even let us hold their M-1 rifles. What a treat. About the time, Bob Glaser, CEO of the NC Automobile Dealers Association, came-up and shared with us his story about his dad and his rifle. Days before his dad’s passing, Bob placed his old rifle in his hands and he could not only still identify it and even remembered his serial number. My vets chimed in, too, each recalling their serial numbers of their guns without hesitation.
Before we left for the Navy Museum, we enjoyed lunch aboard the bus and I finally had a chance to really chat with Ed. Ed was a North Carolina native and served in the 45^th Division, Infantry. He was actually a part of the invasion forces beginning inAnzio and headed to southernFrance and on toGermany. He told me of his service and also about his career in the military, whichwas followed by him owning a Christian bookstore, something he did really as mission work. Ed, much like Howard, also lost his wife of over 60 years to cancer about 5 years ago and he still resides inFayetteville.

After the Marine barracks, we headed to the Navy Museum at the Navy Yard and then to the Air Force memorial. There I took several photos, again and this time one of my vets wanted to know about trying to get the entire memorial in the photo, which was about 270 feet at its highest point. I proceeded to lie on the ground and try to get the whole thing in the frame. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. It was at that moment that Fred said, “Jim, you went beyond the call of duty on that one.”
“A small sacrifice Fred…small sacrifice.”

Hanging with the Greatest Generation (Part I)

This week I had the honor to accompany three WWII veterans to our nation’s capital and tour several historical monuments/museums.
The trip was coordinated by the Triangle Flight of Honor and it was intended to give WWII veterans the chance to see the WWII memorial and honor them in a way they should have many years ago.
When I signed-up for this experience I knew I would be doing a service for these veterans, but I never realized what spending the day with the “Greatest Generation” would teach me.
Before we made our journey to DC, we had to connect with our veterans and a member of their family to coordinate a special surprise for them and to make sure they had the necessary things in place before the journey.
The Saturday before the flight, we met at Broughton High School and before we were introduced to our vets, 33 of the Guardians, divided into three teams of red, white and blue, were given a brief orientation. I don’t recall much about what was said, until one of the coordinators mentioned how significant this flight would be to the vets. She mentioned that once this flight is over, they will rank this event right up there with some of the most important days of their lives, even comparing it to the day they were married or the birth of their first child. It likely was that special, but she didn’t mention anything about the impact on us.
When I did finally get to meet Fred, Ed and Howard, I knew we would be in for a great day, especially when Fred referred to me as their shepherd for the day. “Yes,” I said, “that’s exactly right. We are a team and I would be shepherding them along while in DC.
We chatted briefly, reviewed the plans for the day and then we were off. I touch-based with them once more on Tuesday before our flight to make sure all was good and our next meeting would be at Raleigh Durham International Airport for our 0815 flight.
When I arrived at the airport on Wednesday, October 26, I was greeted by current members of the military and members of Rolling Thunder and the Patriot Guard. They were lined up outside with American flags.
As I arrived inside the terminal, we had a special area for our 102 veterans to meet-up with the 33 Guardians. Each Guardian was responsible for meeting with their vets, collecting their IDs and along with their boarding pass, check them in through security, and make our way down to the gate. I knew I was in for a good day when I stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee and snack and my purchase came to exactly $5, the amount of my gift card I presented.When my vets arrived, one by one, they said their goodbyes to their families and we made our way through security. One of the great treats of this flight for the vets, and me, was that we got to sail through security without any issue at all. We didn’t even have to go through the scanners.
At the gate, we took some pictures and chatted before boarding the flight and got to know each other better. On the flight to DC, we talked a lot more. I was sitting in-between Fred and Howard and learned that Fred had two daughters and that Fred had two sons and a daughter, who still shares his love of baseball. Fred was still married and has been for over 50 years. Howard lost his wife about 5 years ago to cancer. They had been married for over 60 years. It was around that time doctors diagnosed him with cancer and gave him 6-months to live. Another battle fought and won.