Stars and Stripes Honor Flight #64 |
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Type of Activity | Honoring Veterans |
Location |
Location | Milwaukee WI, Washington DC |
Date of Activity | September 10 2022 |
Coordinates | 33°40′34″N 117°43′52″W |
On September 10, 2020, my 79th birthday, I
was privileged to take a Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington
DC. It had been 52 years since I left Camp David for The Western White House in
San Clemente. When I last saw DC many of the war memorials did not exist.
There were two flights that would depart
from Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field packed with WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans
and their Guardians (My Son Don, sponsored me and was my Guardian this day, a veteran
himself). Flight A and Flight B (Mission #64) included one World War II vet, 13
Korean War vets, and 144 veterans of the Vietnam War. This day of emotion
started before the sun came up, as we arrived at Mitchell International Airport
with smiles on our faces even though it was 6AM. We were met on the curb by a Stars
and Stripes volunteer and was escorted into the terminal to our BRAVO GOLD check
in.
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Getting checked in with the Bravo Gold Team
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I am beyond grateful to the hundreds of incredible people who made my Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Mission #64 on 09-10-2022 such a wonderful success.
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Getting our boarding passes and ID's
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Most importantly, I am so grateful for their incredible volunteers. Whether they managed wheelchairs, checked us in, helped with photos or breakfast, or any of the dozens of volunteer jobs. They went over and above to welcome everyone.I was so impressed for every single team member at Mitchell Airport, whether TSA, airport operations, or housekeeping. We were assigned to Bravo GOLD (Flight and Bus assignment).
We were given our boarding pass and off we went to TSA and our gate.
Thanks to the Color Guard and TSA, thanks to Brewers vocalist Bob Kozlowski for his beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, and to all the first responders who helped us board the plane.
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| At our gate ready to go |
Thanks to our
Allegiant Flight crew for the great service to and from Washington DC
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| Mitchell Airport Fire Department Ground Crew |
We pulled away from the gate and as the plane was taxiing down the runway the Mitchell Airport Fire Department Ground Crew honored all of us with a water cannon salute!
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| A water cannon salute |
/ We were on our way to DC heading to Dulles
International Airport. When we landed in DC, the welcome and the ground
coordination was fantastic. Thanks to the Honor Flight Dulles volunteers for
giving Flight #64 vets a welcome that we will always remember.
Thanks to the Dulles Airport Fire Department who gave us a second water cannon salute when we landed,
The reception we received was amazing, there was a crowd of people cheering with many signs all the way through the terminal outside to the Five buses waiting to take us on our tour of the memorials.
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Enjoying and filming the reception at Dulles
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Outside the Dulles Airport
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| Color Guard at Dulles as we leave the airport |
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On the bus heading to DC
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| Escort for our five bus caravan |
Thanks to the Fairfax County Police Department for the rockstar police escort.
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Our Police escort into DC
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Our first stop would be the Martin Luther King Jr’s, and Franklin Delano Roosevelts Memorial.
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Martin Luther King JR memorial
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
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| Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial |
We then boarded the bus and were off to our second stop, the Washington DC Mall, where we would visit
the Lincoln Memorial.
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| Lincoln Memorial |
To the left of the Lincoln Memorial is the Korean War Memorial which commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served during the three-year war.
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Korean War Memorial
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Vietnam War Memorial
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| Vietnam War Memorial |
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| At the (The Wall) |
After visiting both memorials we returned to the Lincoln Memorial, walking down the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and the WWII War Memorial. What a beautiful sight!
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The Reflection Pool from the Lincoln Memorial
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| The Washington monument and the WWII War Memorial |
And then there was the World War II Memorial which consists of 56 pillars representing U.S. states and territories. All participating in two theaters of operations the Atlantic and the Pacific.
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| The WWII Memorial commemorating the Atlantic |
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| Memorializing the thousands of casualties of WWII |
Each gold star represents 100 Americans who died in the war. Just over 4,000 of these stars clearly reflect the loss of 405,399 Americans in this titanic struggle. The field of stars is underscored by a granite marker embedded with the words “Here We Mark the Price of Freedom.”
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| The WWII Memorial commemorating the Pacific |
The buses picked us up and we were off to the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Tomb of the Unknowns. We made a short stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial passing through a portion of Arlington National Cemetery to the changing of the guard.
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| Iwo Jima War Memorial |
Perhaps the most moving was the visit to Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for over 400,000 service members and their families, including the most decorated soldier of World War II, the late actor Audie Murphy.
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| Arlington National Cemetery |
We had front row seats to view the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknowns. They change the guard every thirty minutes during the summer, and we had a scheduled time that we had to be there and in place, otherwise we would lose our spot! What a spectacular sight!
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| Headed to the Air Force Memorial |
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The Air Force Memorial
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The Memorial was built on hill overlooking the Pentagon, where the September 11, 2001 terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into it killing 64 passengers and 125 employees working in the building.
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| US Air Force Memorial |
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Air Force Memorial Overlooking the Pentagon site
of the crash of AA flight 77
September 11 (911) |
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Bravo Flight #64 at the US Air Force memorial
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It was time to return to Dulles for our
flight back to Milwaukee.
Once we took off and reached cruising altitude, there was a big surprise! Our team Captain started calling out names for Mail Call and handed everyone an envelope full of letters, and in my case some birthday cards, it seems that our Guardians had reached out to our friends, and family to write congratulatory notes thanking us for our service. Thanks to all of the students at Somers Elementary School in Kenosha WI who wrote a letter for my mail call. I will always treasure those letters.
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| Surprise Mail Call |
We
then landed to a welcome home I will never forget. Little did I know about what
was waiting for me when I deplaned in Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Fire and
Police Pipes and Drums was waiting for us along with many retired and active-duty
military personnel that made up our Silent Salute.
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| Silent Salute at Milwaukee |
A large crowd of with many family and friends were waiting for us when we returned, also many veterans and first responders, an honor guard, and a high school band. They all turned out to welcome us home.
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| Bravo Flight #64 Welcome Home |
I want to send my sincere thanks to
EVERYONE that showed up to greet and welcome our Flight #64 home; the TSA Color
Guard, Patriot Guard, Legion Riders, the amazing Kettle Moraine High School
Band, and the hundreds and hundreds of people who gave up their evening to Welcome
us home.
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| The end of a wonderful day |
This Honor Flight was an experience that I will never forget, and I could never put in words the appreciation to everyone that participated in this wonderful salute to all of the veterans that have been fortunate to have been honored by going on a Stars and Stripes Honor Flight!
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| Here we are checking in and getting ready to start our journey |
I think that this video will explain the purpose of these
flights for anyone not familiar with them. Any WWII, Korean, or Vietnam Veterans
that served our country, are eligible. Stars and Stripes have 131 Hubs across
the United States providing these flights. Check it out you will not regret it!
Finally I would like to Thank My son DON, for arranging for this wonderful day and birthday for me!
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THANK YOU SO MUCH - SP4 DONALD JOHN CROSS |
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