Trips

Maine veterans gather on a Friday morning for a welcome and safety briefing and then fly to Baltimore, MD. The first stop is Fort McHenry – birthplace of the “Star Spangled Banner.” If timing and weather permit, veterans help with the afternoon flag change. Dinner on Friday is at the Freedom Inn mess hall on Fort Meade Army base, and many times the Six-String Soldiers Army Field Band is there to perform a small concert. Veterans are joined at the dinner table by service members attending their A-school training on Fort Meade. It is a chance to talk about being in the military today versus “back in the day.”

Saturday is a very busy day of eight stops: the Marine Corp Memorial (AKA as the Statue of Iwo Jima), the Air Force Memorial, the US Navy Memorial, the Military Women’s Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and Korean War Memorial, watching the changing of the guard and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery, and of course the World War II Memorial. Dinner on Saturday evening is at a local American Legion where the veterans are treated like royalty. Service members from every branch are lined up rendering a salute as the buses arrive to honor the veterans and then help serve the veteran’s meal.  

Each stop of the day has something that connects the veteran back to their days in uniform, and that is especially true of the Vietnam Wall and Korean War Memorial. Finding your buddy’s  name on the wall, or a family member’s  name can provide some closure.  Having a Vietnamese or Korean family come up to you and thank you for giving them their country provides an opportunity for healing. Tears may be shed, but we refer to them as “Honor Flight allergies.” Many times, after visiting these memorials, a veteran will remark that they now feel like their service mattered. Sunday is a quick flight back to Maine where several hundred people will be lined up waving signs, cheering and clapping, and saying “Welcome Home!” to the veterans