On September 27th, Royal Oak Homes had the privilege of sponsoring 4 veterans to visit Washington DC as part of the Honor Flight Program to see the memorials dedicated to their service and the memories of those who have fallen. It was an incredible day. Ben Snyder, Mike Bruno, Rick Perkinson (alternate replacing Karen) and I left for the airport at 3am on Saturday morning and returned around 11:45pm. Very long day, but full of inspirational stories and were able to share in memories that will last a life-time for these veterans. A quick slide show of the day can be seen by clicking the link below. In total, there were 78 veterans who participated in either WW2 or the Korean War present on the trip.. My veteran was an 86 year old bomber in B-29’s and A-26’s during the Korean War. He had never been able to visit Washington DC. We started the day visiting Arlington National Cemetery (Over 400,000 graves) to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard. An incredible sight to see. Unique Fact…Guards at the Tomb are assigned for 2 year shifts, and afterwards, are not allowed to curse or drink for the rest of their life. We then traveled to the Women’s Memorial dedicated to the women who have served. My veteran was adamant that women in the military were very under-appreciated until the 70’s and 80’s so it was an important stop for him. We moved on to the Iwo Jima Memorial and then to the ‘Mall’ to see the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pond, Vietnam Memorial, WW2 Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. As I walked my veteran down the wall of the Korean War Memorial, he broke down crying at the image of how many were killed and missing as part of the war. He emphasized over and over how tragic the experience was, and while he was very proud of his country, his personal feeling was that war is never the solution. Overall, it was an incredible day for all the veterans. Royal Oak Homes received special recognition for their support of the Honor Flight Program in front of all 200+ individuals part of that day. We appreciate your hard work that allowed for these men and women to have this special moment in their lives that they will never forget.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 20:04:12 +0000
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