As Chuck Sutera thought about his Honor Flight Chicago experience, he made a confident statement.
“Honor Flight was a day that I’ll talk about forever,” said Sutera, a former Army private from the Korean War. “This was an experience I won’t ever forget.”
Other than having to get up early — very early — as day was breaking, Sutera didn’t really have any set expectations. “All I knew was that it was starting at 4:00 a.m. But by the time it was over, and we arrived back at the airport, I realized that it was a real honor to have been chosen to go on the trip.”
One particularly enduring aspect of his experience was the Welcome Home Celebration. “Having all of my family at the airport — and all of the other people that were there welcoming us back home too — was amazing! My family was well represented, and I got to shake the Governor’s hand.”
Looking back on his experience, Sutera said, “It was an honor for me to be in the service — and I was fortunate to not see any combat. But this is something that — as a veteran — you deserve. Do whatever you can to get on that list and make the trip!”
“This is something that — as a veteran — you deserve. Do whatever you can to get on that list and make the trip!”
