On June 7th, I had the good fortune to be on an Honor Flight from St. Pete Clearwater to Washington, DC. There were 80 veterans and 80 guardians who made the trip.
The day started with check-in at 4 AM at the airport. At 5 AM we boarded an Allegiant Air chartered plane and at 6AM left for the Baltimore- Washington Airport (BWI) where we arrived at 8:15 AM. We boarded buses and went to Washington, DC. The first stop was the Airforce Memorial, a beautiful site. A box lunch from Arby’s was served.
We then went on a motor tour of D.C. We saw the Pentagon, the IRS building, the Smithsonian Museum and the Washington Monument. We stopped at the WWII Memorial. The aura, the quotes from our military and civilian leaders on the walls were overwhelming. A picture of all the veterans was taken here. Back on the buses, we went to the Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Memorials. A very impressive site!
At 3 PM, we boarded buses to go to BWI Airport, arriving at 4:45 PM. At 6:30 PM, we left for St. Pete Clearwater aboard the Allegiant charter plane and landed at 9 PM. While on the way home, each of us veterans was given a large manila envelope. In it were dozens of congratulatory messages from elementary and middle school students, certificates and letters from several Florida representatives, the two senators, and lo and behold, there was a picture of us in front of the WWII Memorial.
Now upon landing we were faced with about 150 people cheering us and thanking us for our service. I couldn’t believe it- there were soldiers, sailors, marines, Knights of Columbus, cub scouts, boy scouts, DAV, veterans, families and grandparents. What a wonderful way to end a wonderful day.