So around mid-June I was at Baltimore Airport waiting working my way through the throng of people trying to find a seat.  As I settled in I, like those around me, was busy with the normal time killers of checking email, making phone calls, eating, etc. while waiting for our plane to arrive.  As I had  finally settled into my rhythm I hear someone shouting “Excuse me I need everyone’s attention” over the microphone at the gate next to me.  Slowly the din subsided and he makes an surprising announcement.

On the flight about to land from Ohio there were about 20 WW2 Veterans who were part of a Tour of Honor sponsored by the Honor Flight network.  He went on to explain that the Honor Flight provides to WW2 Veterans a cost free trip to Washington DC to see the World War 2 Memorial.  He asked that as they exited the airplane that we show them the honor they deserve by giving them a round of applause.  Then slowly they came out one by one and I was pleased to see that as far as I could see people had stopped what they were doing and were applauding.  Some walked out on their own, others with help, and some in wheel chairs.  The veterans showed their appreciation of the greeting with warm smiles, waves, and a general sense of pride that beamed clearly on their faces.  The crowd, in turn, never stopped applauding and in fact grew even stronger towards the end.

Upon reflecting on the event I couldn’t help but think that here I have spent the prime of my life doing things that help fulfill me spiritually, start my own family and build a career with the only hindrances being the ones i placed on myself.  These honorable soldiers gave up many of their prime years and put family and career on hold to fight for something greater than themselves.  Many of their friends never left Europe or Asia and here they are in their golden years being given an opportunity to see for the very first time a memorial build for them.  Having been to the memorial many times it is a beautiful monument to the heroes that served when called upon and those how sacrificed all that they had.

I want to also mention the Honor Flight network who puts these tours together at no charge to the veterans.  From their website:

The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May of 2004, the World War II Memorial was finally completed and dedicated in Washington, D.C. and quickly became the topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.

Earl repeatedly asked these veterans if they would ever travel out to visit THEIR memorial. Most felt that eventually, somehow, they would make it to D.C., perhaps with a family member or friend.

As summer turned to fall and then winter, these same veterans returned to the clinic for their follow-up visits. Earl asked if they accomplished their dream of visiting the World War II Memorial. By now, for most of the veterans he asked, reality had settled in; it was clear to most that it simply wasn’t financially or physically possible for them to make the journey. Most of these senior heroes were in their 80s and lacked the physical and mental wherewithal to complete a trip on their own. Families and friends also lacked the resources and time to complete the three- to four-day trip to the nation’s capital.

I was surprised to learn that in 2008 they transported 11,137 veterans and have the abitious goal of transporting 25,000 in 2009.  There their motto really sums up my thoughts on that day as they passed by.  We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” –  Will Rogers