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A big thank you to Volusia Honor Air for a wonderful trip to DC Organizers,guardians and all the people that had anything to do with the trip-Thank you! It was a fantastic day and I am very grateful to all involved. And those fantastic guardians--great folks. Linda Helm at the top of the heap! Thank you,Linda and husband Ron. You are special people. signed John and Dot
John Johnson Thank you very much for the opportunity to be a guardian on flight 5. I am very honored to have been able to experience such a wonderful program for our WWII Veterans. I would do it again in a heartbeat! This will be something I will never forget. I feel that I have made some new friends for life. Sandy Lingenfelter Thank you all so much for such a wonderful trip honoring our Veterans. I was privileged to be a guardian on the May 8, 2010 flight, accompanying my Dad, Normand Gagnon, US Navy. He was thrilled to pieces and couldn't believe the respectful treatment he received throughout the day. It was certainly humbling for me, and neither of us will ever forget it. Kudos to all of you for your efforts - it was a spectacular day for all. My Dad hasn't stopped talking about it since he returned, and neither have I. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Louise Gagnon Thank you for the wonderful job you are doing for our veterans. My dad is going to have the privilege of this coming flight on May 8th. What a wonderful experience this is for all our WWII veterans. God Bless you for the work you are doing for those that have served this nation of ours. Betty Creese Balsam Grove NC Words can not begin to express how much I enjoyed my trip to DC with the 4th Honor Air group. My sincere thanks goes out to all the guardians, volunteers, sponors, contributers and especially the planners for a job well done. It was amazing how so many were moved around DC and able to see and do so much in one day.I was also amazed at the large welcoming crowds both at the airports in Dc and Daytona on our return. Ernest Beasley Jr. Pierson I had the honor of being selected to fly to DCA Oct 3, 2009 and can't expess my gratitude enough to the people who contributed to the Volusia Honor Air for all they did to make this trip possible. So often you can tell the teen agers today just look on old WW II vets as being slow and getting in the way. I came across this letter I thought you might be interested in and it shows some people still care. The Sack Lunches I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan. After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base ' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks..' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.' May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email buddy list. Bill Drewes Port Orange, FL October 05, 2009 A Saturday to remember:Of all the humbling moments of my life, the one that has been most overwhelming and pleasing was the Saturday adventure of being honored as a WWII veteran selected by Volusia Honor Air to travel to our nation's capital to see the WWII Memorial. I cannot begin to express my appreciation for the hundreds of countrymen and -women who saw us veterans, chaperones and sponsors off at the DAB airport and greeted us as we landed in Washington, D.C. Or for all those who donated their time and money to ensure we would have an everlasting memory of visiting the WWII, Korea, Vietnam memorials, Arlington, the Iwo Jima shrine and a drive-by of the major Capitol buildings and the White House, which are preserved for all of us in our beloved capital. How does one ever begin to thank the firefighters who gave us a water salute as our plane exited and landed, U.S. Rep. Susanne Kosmos and her staff who spent their entire day traveling with us on buses provided by unnamed sponsors, Major Gen. Barrell and Lt. Col. Campbell who addressed us at the Library of Congress, the Washington police who escorted our three buses to and from the memorials all day, sacrificing their time and pay for this service, the Arlington military guard for the special wreath ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier presented in our behalf? As we were leaving the Arlington cemetery, the Park Service permitted one of our veterans to visit his brother's grave. Our three buses and police escorts parked on the roadside nearby as the veteran was escorted to the grave site. We watched as he embraced his brother's tombstone. There were tears in his eyes. I'm sure there were many watery eyes in the buses that moment, including mine. I was privileged to travel with two Pearl Harbor survivors, a long-interred ex-prisoner of war veteran and many genuine honored heroes whose service is unknown to me. They were all there, soldiers, sailors, Marines and Army Air Force veterans, men and women. Most of all, I extend my gratitude and that of all Americans to the 400,000-plus who gave their lives for their country and who are immortalized by a gold star on the wall on the memorial (each star representing 100 killed in action). God bless them all and the hundreds of people who greeted and saluted us as we arrived and sadly said goodbye as we departed. Saturday. Oct. 3, 2009, is a day I and 104 veterans shall not forget. Ralph Hunnefeld (U.S. Navy, RM 3fC) Ormond Beach, FL October 11, 2009 My personal thanks to Volusia Honor Air, for realizing the dreams of my father Kenneth Halpin. October 3, 2009 will for ever live vividly in my dad's memory. Thanks for making this flight to Washington,DC and memorial visits possible. I know a powerful healing has taken place replacing the agony and ravages of his WWII experience, with the recognition and validation of a service done well. God Bless your mission and all of the men and women who helped make his dream come true. Kerry Crandall DeLand, FL October 06, 2009 Thank you for the opportunity to make the Flight for Veterans to Washington Saturday, October 3, 2009. The experience caused me to reflect on the capability and effort of the volunteers involved in the logistics and support of the operation. I am most impressed by the people who came to the airports to say "Thank You" and to the volunteer guardians who helped us old men. My reaction to the Korean and Iwo Jima monuments is "They wuz us!" The character of the people involved in the operation restores my faith in the future of the United States. As an aside, I remember watching Civil War veterans in blue uniforms marching in a parade on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, about 1926. I wonder if we made a similar impression Saturday. Jerome Meyer DeLand, FL October 06, 2009 What a wonderful slide-show!! And so much other information. My Dad, Elmer Eugene "Gene" Slayton, who will be 92 in November and wears a pace-maker, made the trip to Washington, D. C. yesterday (10-03-09) and is in some of the "next flight" pictures. Thank you so much for this wonderful site. Great job!! And great honor for our wonderful vets! Sandra Smith DeLand, FL October 04, 2009 It was unbelievable to me the number of people, unknown to us, that showed up at the Daytona and Washington, D.C. airports to greet us. It was very emotional. For me, the visit to the World War II memorial was a dream come true. Edward J. Gariano DeLand, FL From the check-in procedure, the full course breakfast, the honor guard salute as we boarded the plane, the water cannon salute and the tremendous reception with Congressman Mica in Washington to the final arrival back in Daytona Beach every minute of the day was orchestrated to make our day unforgettable. The Guardians did a yeomans job. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy their assignment although I am sure that after keeping up with three old men all day, home was a welcome sight Saturday night! Richard O. Heard DeLand, FL It was a privilege to be part of such a wonderful group of veterans and guardians who continue to give so generously to those of us who remain of the WWII heroes. They helped maintain the freedoms we all enjoy many even gave their lives. As a 90 year old, legally blind veteran it blessed us beyond any happening in our remaining dreams of what we still stand for. We are Proud to be Americans. God Bless Us One and All. Frank Parsons DeLand, FL September 27, 2008 will be a day I shall always remember and Im so grateful to have been chosen to be a part of it. The music and the greeting crowd at both airports brought flashbacks to the day in December 1945 when my ship, the U.S.S. Bullard, arrived in San Francisco after the war. Seeing the memorials with all the other veterans was a very moving experience as well. Again, my sincere thanks to all who made this trip possible. Adolph Jay Koury Apopka, FL Thanks again for the opportunity you have given us World War II Veterans to visit the Memorials in Washington. Keep up the good work and God Bless you for remembering what Tom Brokaw names us The Greatest Generation. John D. Sabatka Port Orange, FL Thanks a million for the trip to Washington. The tour was well done and I enjoyed it very much. I am an 86 year old who served in the 1st Division in Belgium and Germany. I was wounded in Nov 1945 across the Rhine River in Germany. My right arm is partly paralyzed, so I had to learn to write with my left hand. Thanks again. Dan Kilpatrick DeLand, FL If not for this, I would never have seen the memorials in our capital. Thank you for all the effort, and I hope this opportunity is available to other veterans in the future. Jack Hill DeLand, FL All thanks to you who urged me to go. Ive since met a lot of veterans who wished they had known about it and so many who are interested in hearing all about my sojourn. Gordon Carter Lake Helen, FL Thanks for the great day you all provided me and others that were not so fortunate to get a heroes welcome home on our late return from different parts of the world. I had been involved in the magic carpet runs so I never got back from Asia until it was very late and very quiet. You people are amazing and from my heart, I thank you. Frank Formichella Kissimmee, FL In my 24 years of US Naval Service, I never experienced, or felt, the respect and admiration of so many complete strangers, all united in a Thank You . Their applause, cheers, handshakes and smiling faces combined to touch me emotionally, and was a day that I will always remember. God Bless You All for Your Patriotism. Paul S. Polgar Commander, USN (Retired) May 9th, 2009 was one of the most memorable days of my life. Visitors at the memorials were very impressed and interested, asking us many questions. Even the children were eager to hear of our experiences and seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say. This is a day I shall always remember and want to give the Rotarians my sincere thanks for giving me this opportunity. Richard H. Coombs U.S. Navy Veteran Port Orange, FL If the Honor Air crew had been in charge of WWII, we could have come home a lot sooner! Before I tear up here, I have to tell you that in all my years of service, and all my returns home, I have never been in a parade, nor has any group given me a welcome such as this! I was in combat in three different wars, but this was the first really organized effort I had encountered to say thank you for your service . Phil McSpadden Past Commander 517th Airborne The Villages, FL I just spent one of the finest days of my life. &I dont know who thought of such a trip, but they should receive commendation medals. The Volusia Honor Air Trip brought back all of those memories, and many tears. Your organization made a dream come true. You should really be proud of how you made a bunch of veterans feel. Thanks a Million! Russell E. Macomber USCG Senior Chief Petty Officer, Retired Orange City, FL Went on VHA2 in September, 2008 Died July 1, 2009 Serving our country was both an honor and a privilege, and to see the memorial is a trip I will never forget. Thanks to each of you. James Houck Eustis, Florida This is to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your people handled the trip for us old folks in a very organized and helpful way. You will always be in my memory for having provided this opportunity for us veterans, who otherwise, would never have seen these places honoring those that were left behind. Rhea L. Adams USMCR Retired Orange City, FL I lost my father in 1992. Every time I hear or read something about the WWII Memorial, it brings tears to my eyes because I would have loved to have taken him to see it. He was so proud of his service during the War. Please accept this donation and give the veterans a hug! Sandra Moore Holly Hill, FL Daughter of William Gerard Magness I have never been to D.C.; had the best time of my life. I appreciate all done for me. God Bless All! Wayne Holby DeLand, FL Yesterdays adventure to D.C. brought special memories. Thanks for giving so much joy! Juanita Semsky US Marine Corps Feb 1943-Nov 1945 Deland, FL It was the most honorable time I have had in my 83 years of life (THE BEST ). We all were treated honorably and shall live with that memory for the rest of our lives. Again, many, many thanks. Gabriel Gabe Maioli Port Orange, FL Please let me thank you for a most memorable day on the trip to Washington to see the WWII memorial. It is a day I shall never forget, and the thought that keeps going through my mind is isnt it a shame that every person doesnt have at least one day in their life like this. I feel so fortunate to have been included in this event. My thanks to all. I shall always remember that day! Frank Johnson DeLand, FL It was an honor to have our representative John Mica ride on our bus and point out the various buildings. Also, to be honored by Senator Bob Dole and his wife with their presence. Again, thank you for the honor! James F. Brussow WWII and Korea U.S. Marine Corps DeBary, FL To all Volusia Honor Air leaders, volunteers, sponsors and supporters GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! Yes, what a great memorial, honor, gift and experience you gave me on September 27th. This was the highlight of recognition of my military service and to the millions who served in WWII. Thank you, so very much. Fred Hering USMC 1943-1947 Port Orange, FL The trip to Washington DC was one of the highlights of my life. The highlight was meeting Senator Dole as we both served in the 10th Mountain Division in Italy. Senator Dole came through my aid station when he was wounded. To have a conversation with him, after all these years was quite emotional. Thank you for this experience. The concept of Honor Air is a wonderful one and you are to be congratulated for your endeavors. William W. Schildecker, M.D. DeLand, FL |