What a difference a week makes…

Last week at this time, I was in Washington, DC with Dad, enjoying our Honor Flight trip with 188 other people. It was an amazing day and honestly, we were both overwhelmed with how many people cared and supported us before, during and after this journey. It’s been a wild ride since we returned, close to midnight last night.

With that being said, I had hoped to get a blogpost out last Thursday, but something didn’t feel right while I was trying to summarize our day. I felt like I was trying to do a summary of a 20-hour trip on two pages and my words were boring me, so I knew they would bore you too.

Many of you have been to Washington, DC and I am certain that you have seen many of the monuments. If you haven’t, you should. It’s a treat to have so much of our history in one place and free of charge. I can vouch for the thousands of 8^th graders that have visited during the tail end of the school year…many were there while we were.

To re-hash the monuments we visited would not give you the true emotion of the day. So, instead of the blogpost I started writing last week, I decided to go in a different direction.

Being able to travel to Washington, DC with Dad, on this Honor Flight trip was something I am so grateful for. During all the years of doing Honor Flight in Cincinnati, I knew Dad would enjoy it, but he never felt worthy…afterall, he did not fight in a war. He was in the Army Reserves and only activated for a couple of short periods of time.

Dad is extremely proud of his service and always asks a retailer or a waiter, “Do you give a military discount?” and most of the time, they do. He wears his hat or shirt on any day that is vaguely related to a military holiday. So, I knew this trip would be a treat for him and he needed to go.

The day was stellar! We were greeted with the “ground crew” who made sure we knew where we were going and introduced us to other Veterans and Guardians. Soon, Dad was exchanging stories and taking compliments for “not looking his age” or “no hearing aids after being in an artillery unit?” Ummmm…we knew the hearing aid thing was a stretch, afterall, he is stubborn about those hearing aids, but I let him soak up the kind words.

As the day continued, Dad was walking with pep in his step, something we don’t see very often. He was so surprised to see how many people reached out to fist bump or shake his hand, “Thank you for your service” was repeated over and over throughout the day by so many people. Teachers had their classes step aside as the Veterans walked into memorials. Groups of people at the airports and even on the tarmac, saluted the Veterans and the plane. It was heartwarming and appreciated by all.

We made friends on the bus as we kept our same seats throughout the day. There were lots of laughs as I had declared our bus as the “fun” bus and the back of the bus was the hot spot…Business in the front and party in the back! The folks did not let us down!

Mail call at dinner time was definitely a highlight. Dad had two envelopes of love notes from those who wrote letters, some from family and friends and some from strangers. He chose to save them for when he got home but the TV station asked him to read a couple out loud. I can tell you that those few letters brought a few tears to our eyes. It may have been the exhaustion or the full belly from our boxed dinner, but looking around and seeing all of the Veterans sharing their letters with the Guardian was a sight to see!  

We boarded the plane and we were quiet as the day was coming to an end. The Veterans had no idea what was waiting for them back in Louisville at the airport. There were over 1,000 people waiting to welcome this group of heroes back home. That’s when the tears flowed for nearly all of the Veterans, their Guardians and the crowd!

As we got closer to the group, I knew that our crew was on the left side of the hall, so I tried leading Dad to that side. Then, we arrived and he saw Mom with her red sweater and waving a flag from her wheelchair, he leaned over to kiss her and for just a few seconds, that’s all I could see! It was a moment in time that I wanted to remember! These two have been married nearly 66 years and that moment spoke of those years.

The cameras were swarming around them (strangers and the media!) and Dad was ready to stay right there, holding her hand. We needed to continue walking and waving to the crowd. Reluctantly, Dad finished the walk, seeing even more people that we recognized.

I’m sharing this “other” side of our day because as special as the monuments and memorials are amazing, the human factor of the day was just as amazing, if not more so.

Dad had no emotional connection to any of the memorials, but he got choked up at various times throughout the day. He saluted when it was called for. He is a veteran as he served his country in the Army for 26 years. He deserved this day and I am so happy and honored that I was able to do it with him. I am forever grateful that he was able to get through the day like a champ…walking was easier than I thought it would be for him and he drank water to avoid getting dehydrated.

He is slowly reading the letters and once he completes the letter, he places it into his special binder/scrapbook that he is compiling with memories from the day. He is being meticulous about this binder so we don’t rush him or ask questions.

I have been fortunate to be in the company of many Veterans and each time, I do not forget them. I have learned a lot from my experiences with Honor Flight. Each trip is special and has its own personality. This trip was different because it was me and Dad.

Thanks to all of you who encouraged Dad to take the trip. He will forever remember the day and I know he will happily show you his binder when it is finished!! XOXOXOXO