Return of the Quad Cities Honor Flight #61 (Photos)

Quad Cities Honor Flight #61 left early on Tuesday, October 29th and carried 80 veterans to the nation’s capital to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their sacrifices.

This flight consisted of veterans from Carroll, Whiteside, Lee and a few other nearby counties, with 17 veterans from Whiteside County. They were accompanied by over 65 trained guardians who assisted them throughout the day while visiting the monuments of Washington D.C.

Stephen Garrington, LTC, US Army (Ret.) and Director of the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, said this flight consisted of two Korean War vets and the rest Vietnam War vets, including three women who served in administrative roles. “We were thrilled to have them all,” he said, noting that one World War II veteran who planned to go on the flight decided not to.

Garrington has been involved with every local Honor Flight since the chapter started in 2008. He reported that the weather for this trip was beautiful, especially for the fall. “D.C. is always warm, with the hot air coming from the Capitol,” he joked. There’s only been two Honor Flights with rain, so it’s always a relief to get a nice day.

The Flight Commander was Mike Haney, an Honor Flight board member and Air Force veteran who’s been with the Honor Flight organization since its inception in 2008, and Deputy Commander was Ron Dammon.

Some veterans had never been to the nation’s capital before, while for others it’d been decades since their last visit. The trip is a life-changing experience, especially being in the company of a brotherhood of veterans and sharing stories along the way.

It starts with a send-off ceremony and breakfast at the Quad Cities International Airport before boarding Sun Country Airlines for an approximately 90-minute flight. At Dulles International Airport, the veterans are enthusiastically welcomed by schoolchildren, government officials, and locals carrying signs and flags.

Three charter buses await the group, with the first stop at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA, where historic aircraft and spacecraft are on display in an open hangar. Exhibits include the Discovery space shuttle, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, wartime aircraft, commercial aviation, satellites, early flight relics, and Goddard rockets.

The buses next circle the U.S. Marines Corps War Memorial, a statue based on the iconic photograph depicting six soldiers raising the second American flag at Iwo Jima. They then travel to Arlington National Cemetery to view the Military Women’s Memorial and Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Next is the National Mall, where a group photo is taken in front of the Lincoln Memorial before they spend time at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial. They next go to the World War II Memorial, though this time they had a police escort due to a political rally blocking the road. “We got through the blockade by going the wrong way on the one way,” Garrington said of the minor change in transportation plans.

The final stop of the day is the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Arlington, VA with a scenic view of the Pentagon and Washington D.C. in the evening. Boxed dinners are handed out before heading back to the airport. While on the flight home, all veterans receive packages of handwritten letters from family members, like mail calls during their days of service.

“They all had a great time and really enjoyed seeing the memorials, but the highlight was people welcoming them home,” Garrington said. Just after 10 p.m., the veterans returned to the Quad Cities Airport, where hundreds excitedly and proudly welcomed the weary but grateful travelers home. Family, friends, Patriot Guard Riders, and citizens clap, cheer, wave flags, and give the veterans a different experience this time around.

A group from West Carroll Primary School in Savanna, IL was a big part of this flight’s welcoming home party. Students in 4th grade, under the direction of teacher Kris Yingling, have been holding a bike-a-thon for the past 11 years to raise money for the Honor Flight. Each year, area veterans give a talk about their military service, and then a month later, between 60 and 90 children walk or ride a course in Helle Park to raise money for the flight.

“This helps students understand all that has been sacrificed to help our country be the best it can be,” says Yingling. Any student who participated in the fundraiser was invited to the airport. Charter buses brought many of the students and veterans back home after the day-long trip.

Garrington said the organization is always looking for veterans and guardians for future Honor Flights, which are typically held on Tuesdays due to ease in chartering an airplane. Most bosses give these guardians a day off from work too. The Quad Cities Honor Flight organization typically offer two flights in the spring and two in the fall, but only is lined up for next year, at least so far.

“You get to spend a whole day with them and hear stories about their service. You may have to push a veteran in a wheelchair. Some people really connect and it’s always a wonderful time, and well worth the small amount charged for the airplane ride. I guarantee it will be the best day of your life,” said Garrington.

Each guardian receives a free jacket, t-shirt, transportation, and meals for the day. They also receive an hour and a half of training before the trip for the little things one might not think of when accompanying the elderly. Guardians should be between the ages of 18-65, and able to accompany a veteran (sometimes in a wheelchair) for a full day and up to four miles. It’s an exhausting day, but one full of adventure, experiences, connection, pride, and so much more as generational healing takes place.

Any veteran with a year of honorable, non-training, active duty before 1976 is also urged to fill out an application for an Honor Flight and send it (along with a DD214) to Honor Flight c/o Ridgecrest Village 4130 Northwest Blvd., Davenport, IA 52806. Those interested in going on a flight as a Guardian to assist Veterans (some may be in a wheelchair) may fill out a special “guardian application” as well. All applications are available at www.honorflightqc.org or by emailing honorflight@ridgecrestvillage.org.

A Hero’s Welcome