I had the honor to be selected for Villages Honor Flight on Nov. 2 which included the 800th veteran to take the flight. Forty veterans and their guardians arrived at the American Legion Post 347 at 5 a.m.
The volunteers for the flight were well organized and efficient. We were broken into groups and given various documents we would need for the flight. We were to find out later that one of the packages contained letters from friends, neighbors, local politicians and school children all thanking us for our service. We left in two buses and arriving at the airport we were welcomed by an honor guard. The majority of passengers awaiting flights at the airport came over to us clapping, shaking our hands and congratulating us for our service. The TSA security guards also shook our hands and thanked us for our service. We felt very proud to be Americans and thankful that most Americans still think our nation is great.
As we were backing out of the terminal the pilot realized our plane had problems and we returned to the terminal. Southwest Airlines was able to commandeer a plane that was scheduled to go to Seattle and were able to continue our trip to Washington D.C.
Arriving at the Washington D.C, airport, we were again greeted by an honor guard and again applauded by the passengers waiting for their planes.
We loaded two buses and toured Washington D.C. led by a police escort. We visited the Air Force Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Marine Iwo Jima Statue and Arlington Cemetery. At all these locations we were congratulated by the people visiting the memorials. We saw a Korean couple putting a wreath at the Korean War Memorial reminding us that not only were Americans killed during the various wars.
We witnessed the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The precision which the solders displayed was phenomenal. Their uniforms were immaculate. One of the soldiers told us after the ceremony that it took about six months to become proficient and they were held to a higher standard.
We returned to the Washington D.C. airport and received the same welcome we had when we arrived. The same thing happened when we arrived at the Orlando Airport.
Our buses stopped in Leesburg and picked up an escort of police and The Village Nomads Motorcycle Club. They led us into the parking lot of the American Legion at about 1:40 a.m. We felt proud as we saw over 150 friends and relatives waiting for us especially since we were over two hours late. As we entered the lot two fire engines shot water over our buses to form an arch. As we exited the buses there was a double line of honor guards and Naval Cadets from the University of Florida at Gainesville. They all saluted us as we walked through.
I can’t remember being so proud to be an American and seeing how many others are also proud of our country and its military. It seems all you see in the news are people disrespecting our country and its flag but after my trip with the Honor Flight, I realize that these people are in the minority. God Bless America.
Ed Sullivan is a resident of The Villages.
