“I started the day with a hole in my heart, and now it’s halfway filled.”
Those words were spoken by a teary-eyed Veteran as he de-planed from #HFC112 last month and entered his Welcome Home parade so many decades in coming.
As we approach Veterans Day this Saturday, we are deeply proud to reflect on Honor Flight Chicago’s 15th flight season and the hundreds of senior war heroes we honored and impacted and healed. Over six flights, our team flew 678 senior war heroes to Washington, D.C., to celebrate their service and properly welcome them home. That number comprises eight WWII Veterans, 57 Korean War Veterans, and 613 Vietnam War Veterans.
We are especially proud of our organization’s resiliency because of how strong our volunteer corps is. On April 5 — during what was supposed to be a celebration of the 10,000th senior Veteran to visit the memorials in D.C. thanks to Honor Flight Chicago – our plane’s takeoff was thwarted by weather and never got off the ground. Those 111 veterans returned to the gate in an unprecedented maneuver, smoothly getting home thanks to mobilization from our team and from our partners at Southwest and Midway. Each veteran was invited to fly on a flight later in the season, and the vast majority took us up on that offer for the very next month.
From that inauspicious beginning, a truly wonderful season unfolded. Two Veterans re-united unexpectedly after more than 60 years apart. Our DC Guardians continued to make a profound impact on our Veterans’ lives. A Vietnam Veteran staged an impromptu concert for his fallen brother at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Our heroes received the Welcome Home they’ve always deserved.
The comments we receive from Veterans after their flight is all the feedback we need to know that our mission has been successful for yet another season:
- “You now know more about my time in Vietnam than my family. For me to be able to talk about the war was something I was never able to do. I’m eternally thankful.”
- “On paper the schedule of events was enough to interest any person, but the way in which each element of the day was pulled off was beyond my imagination. At no point was there an average moment. The work you do makes a huge impact in the lives of so many veterans, myself now included.”
- “It was 40 years ago that I first heard ‘thank you for your service,’ and that was when I went to the VA for hearing aids. To go from being told not to wear our uniforms in the airport to the welcome we received everywhere…. well, that was pretty special.”
- “I’m going to be honest, I cried when I heard people saying Welcome Home. I feel better and proud that I served this country.”
Thank you so much for playing a role in our mission this season. We have now flown 10,633 senior veterans, the most of any Honor Flight hub in the entire nation. In addition to our 6,349 WWII Veterans tally, we have topped 2,216 Korean War and 2,068 Vietnam War Veterans who have boarded our flights to D.C.
In closing, we want to thank and acknowledge lead photographer Rob Williamson and DC Coordinator Vince Wilson, who both have retired from their respective Honor Flight Chicago roles after many years of distinguished and invaluable service. Thank you to you both!
We also recognize and remember Colin Myron, a long-time multifaceted and self-less volunteer who passed away unexpectedly just days after serving as a bus captain on #HFC112 last month. He leaves behind a legacy in how to honor our heroes, and we will follow his lead in celebrating the Veterans in our lives to the fullest all week long heading into Veterans Day this Saturday.
Thank you again for a tremendous season. Preparations are already underway for 2024 – we still have thousands of Veterans waiting for the heart-healing experience of a flight with Honor Flight Chicago!
Edna Ho and Doug Meffley
Directors, Honor Flight Chicago
“What a hell of an organization! I thank you for bringing all the young children, they are future spokespersons. My family came to the Americas in 1610 and were taught to honor this new land, for it was a new beginning. HFC is carrying on the tradition in the youth today. With so many veterans surrounding me I felt the spirit of those I knew flying with me.”
— WWII Veteran Raymond Gervais
“I’m here with chills and also tears running down my cheeks thinking about yesterday. It was the most amazing day of my recent life. You and the Honor Flight Chicago People did such an amazing fantastic job. It’s very difficult to really tell you what a great experience it was. There are not enough beautiful words to tell you how much you did for us. Such super people. If I was a younger man I would want to help your wonderful organization. My warmest regards to you and everybody involved.”
— Vietnam Veteran Bill Cox
“Thank you, I had a fantastic time. You and the other volunteers should be very proud of yourselves and the work you do. You’ve probably heard this all before but I’ll say it again. You have no idea how much this all meant to us veterans. It was a long time coming for some of us to get the recognition we deserved. I’ve been working 51 years to get past this, yesterday was a huge step forward. Thank you again!”
— Vietnam Veteran Terry Burns
“Made it home; kicked off shoes and crashed until almost 10 AM. Had a great time in an event that your team put together for us. I can only speak for myself but I’m sure my heartfelt thanks resonates with all who made this memorable trip. My family and I are so grateful. My first trip back to Norfolk, VA was met with ‘Sailors and dogs keep off the grass.’ What a difference!”
— Vietnam Veteran Russel McClintock
