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.