I'll pass that information along to Jim Garrison here in Ava who is a BTW member. Jim had the distinction of not only serving in WWII but the Korean War and Viet Nam as well. I can't believe there are too many people who can say that. Jim is 83 now and is still triking.
I had a very rewarding experience yesterday. Left the house at 3 a.m. headed for the airport to form a flagline with the PGR to honor the WWII Vets that were taking the Honor Flight to Washington DC to visit the monuments there. There were about 150 of them and about 50 or so care givers travelling with some of them. They were very excited about going, and the news crews were there asking them questions about their experiences in WWII. The families were there to see them off as well. The plane finally took off about 7:30 a.m. and went home to get some rest. Was back at the airport last night at 10 p.m. The GPR set a flagline to welcome them home as well. When the first Vet entered our flagline, we came to attention and gave a hand salute. We held the salute until the last one had gone through.. That was the longest salute in history I think. The families were there holding all sorts of signs of welcome, and a lot of the old boys were very teary eyed when they came through. They were shaking everyones hands, thanking them for coming out to honor them. It was a great experience. There will be another flight in april. If you know any WWII Vets that would like to go, it is free to them. They can get applications on the web at honorflight.com. If you have no success there, contact Michael Orchard in Ozark Mo. He is the commander of the VFW post there, and also the coordinator of the flights. If you ever have a chance to participate in these, it will be well worth your time to do it.. God Bless them one and all...
