Chapter 88 - The Honor Flight

This Chapter began over two years ago when Don Thomas called and invited Carol and I got go with him to a luncheon at a golf club in Toledo. It was being hosted by the South Willamette Valley Honor Flight, (SWVHF).

It was fun and while there I was able, during the auction to bid on and win the leather Marine vest that I now seldom wear. Hahaha, but I have it!! I also, while I was there, completed the application form so I might be considered for a trip. I didn't even think anymore of it after the luncheon.

For over two years I haven't thought about it. Because I felt there were plenty of WWII and Korean War Vets out there far more deserving than I of taking this trip.

Imagine, then, my surprise when I got an e-mail informing me that I'd been selected for the next Honor Flight in October and inviting me to a Breakfast Gathering in Albany at Pop's Branding Iron Restaurant (See Chapter 87).

And so, after some hesitation, I agreed and accepted their kind invitation. And what an adventure it was!!

The dates for my Honor Flight were 4-7 October. We would gather together at the Shiloh Inn in Portland on Thursday, October 4, for a dinner together. Then, early the next morning, we would all move to the airport for our flight to Washington, D.C.

Yeah, I was excited. I had asked for my Guardian to be my Grandson, Chris. So rather than seeing up with my Guardian in Portland, I would meet with Chris when we arrived in D.C. 

Hahaha, you can see I was a little interested as I haunted the Weather Channel for the two weeks prior to see what the weather would be like on our Flight. And it was, surprisingly, quite pleasant. I decided, based on this, to not even bring a jacket on my trip since it would be warmer there than here in LCO.

And so, having committed, I made the trip up to Portland where I was issued my official SWVHF T-Shirt and Vietnam Veteran Cap. I was now on my way. 

I was a member of the Club.

I picked up another Vet, Marv Youngman, and we drove out to Otis, a couple miles out of LCO to meet up with Tom and his wife, Sandy. They were going to drive to Salem to meet up with the Honor Flight Van coming up from Eugene and offered to bring us along with them.

Tom and Sandy have an slightly unusual, eclectic style of living...almost totally off the grid. They have ducks, peacocks, goats and other assorted animals. Plus they grow a lot of good in their gardens.

And so, I memorialized my trip's beginning with a ... Selfie. Looking good like I should ...  be in Hollywood!!

The first night, Thursday, we stayed at the Shiloh Inn; which was nice. And it was there I met up with my part-time Guardian, Dick Schreiber. He was assigned to me until I could hook-up with my full-time Guardian, Chris. It's the rules. 

And so it began. I had some knowledge of what happens on an Honor Flight and so I was not surprised by the fact there would be some kind of reception when we arrived. What surprised me was how genuine it felt and how large it was. 

I knew I would be uncomfortable and I was right. It was difficult for me walking through this but I tried to be gracious and to smile...and get through as quickly as I could. I think the applause was well deserved for the other Vets who actually did something but for me? Not so much.

And, WOW!! TSA had an Honor Guard at our gate.

It was a long, arduous flight. I was fortunate enough to get an aisle seat and so I could, without inconveniencing too many others, stand up and relieve some of the pain from my back.

I swear, the seats were like sitting on a wooden board covered with a fake leather covering. It was uncomfortable. Mind you, I am grateful to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring the trip. Plus we were treated  to free drinks and a meal by the Alaska Airlines flight crew; that was great. But those seats!! Ouch!!

But we made it. Dick had hinted that I should look out the windows when we landed. I tried, but still I didn't see what happened. They had two fire trucks and they formed an arc with the water cannons for our plane to taxi under. Yeah, kinda cool, eh?

Oh, and Alaska Air especially set up this flight as a non-stop just for the Honor Flight. It was also lucky for those few extra seats that were sold to non-Honor Flight people.

And this is what awaited me and my fellow Flight Vets as we exited the Secure Area. What a nice surprise. I expected just Michelle and Chris to be there to greet me. Chris cuz he had to be there and Michelle cuz, like me, she didn't quite trust Knothead to be at the right gate and wanted to make sure.

Hahaha, regardless, it was a great surprise!! With Red, White and Blue Signs, too.

And I got myself a picture with this particular Founder-of-the-Feast.

And all her little Minions.

Some of the guys wanted pictures with the Ray Crowd. I photo-bombed.

I especially enjoyed this. That Chris deliberately chose to wear my Dad's Pearl Harbor Survivor's Jacket. It was kinda like having my Dad with me on this trip. He passed in 2000 and never had the opportunity to visit the WWII Memorial dedicated to he and his shipmates.

The only problem was the weather was so doggone nice I could understand why Chris didn't want to wear the jacket for the whole trip. Stupid weather!!

At least he had it on for a while. Thanks, Bubba!!

That night, Friday, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hotel. In the end, we ended up having chicken three nights in a row but, and I'm not being gracious here, I'm being very honest, all three times the meals were delicious. Very well done. Especially the Saturday night dinner at the Elk's Lodge. Mmmmmmmmm, but more on that later!!

Up early the next morning, Saturday, and we boarded the busses and set off for adventure.

And on this day we were given a Park Police Escort for the entire day!! It was both practical and a way of honoring the Vets. Without the police clearing the way for us, I doubt we would have been able to travel to all the memorials and sights we saw on Saturday. 

It was fun and, yeah, I felt a bit special. They really cleared the lanes for us. The Motorcycle Cop was especially vigorous in forcing cars out of the way. He even kicked a couple of other busses out of the spots where we parked. He was . . . a force to be reckoned with.

This map gives you an idea of how our morning went. We stopped at each Memorial in the order shown. The first stop was the WWII Memorial.

Chris and I took a moment to have our picture taken.

And, yeah, I was thinking of all the men and women, my Mom and Dad, who sacrificed and eventually saved the world from tyranny.

The Arch commemorating the Pacific Theater of War.

My Dad served in both oceans. He was at Pearl aboard the U.S.S. Dobbin and did duty in the Pacific. Then he was transferred to one of the many new Destroyer Escorts, the U.S.S. Ingram, for convoy duty in the Atlantic. He'd end up back in the Pacific with a ship reconfigured into a High Speed Transport to become part of the invasion fleet steaming for Japan. From beginning to end, he served.

I liked the Memorial. I think they touched all the right bases; hit all the proper notes for this Memorial to a Generation of Heroes.

I hadn't realized but from this Memorial you could see the Washington Monument and, as you'll see later, the Lincoln Memorial.

What price Freedom? This part of the WWII Memorial reminds you of the human cost involved in winning this war. Each star represents 100 lives lost in saving the world. There are 4,048 stars here.

May the memory of their sacrifice never be forgotten.

Chris and I were wandering about. Chris was following my lead and letting me nose around where I wanted. I saw this quote about the war's end from President Truman and was lining up to get a shot of it when I heard, from behind me, this little, squeaky "Boo."

I didn't pay any attention to it because, well, why would anyone be 'booing' me here at the WWII Memorial? 

Then I heard it a second time, a little more insistent, "Boo!!" Still, I didn't react to it. Again, WWII Memorial and being 'booed' just didn't add up. Besides, I was deeply involved in getting the 'just so' picture of Truman's quote.

Finally, I heard this rather loud, "BOO!!" from in front of me. Now I had to look because, well, knock it off!! Imagine my surprise when I looked down and it was D-Bomb!! What the . . . !?!?!

Hahahaha, Michelle and family had gotten our itinerary from Chris and met up with us at the Memorial. They'd gotten a room in D.C. and were planning on spending the weekend. They, in effect, shadowed the Flight throughout most of the tour.

What a neat surprise!!

At the famous quote from FDR about the, "date which will live in infinity . . . ", we gathered for a picture. I'm pretty sure D-Monster was off drawing a picture for the Mail Bag.

They were EVERYWHERE!

The WWII Victory Medal.

The medal was awarded for service between 7 December, 1941 and 31 December, 1946. As WWII ended on 2 September, 1945, the reason for the late date is that President Truman did not declare an official end of hostilities until the last day of 1946.

Every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during that time period was eligible for the medal. There were, in the end, over 12 million eligible recipients, making the WWII Victory Medal one of the most widely awarded decoratons of the U.S. military.

As I mentioned earlier, you could see the Lincoln Memorial from the WWII Memorial. History was, truly, all around us.

Our next stop was the Vietnam War Memorial.

It is difficult for me to explain my feelings about this memorial.

I'll leave it at I would not have walked along it except my daughter, Michelle, asked me to and I did it for her.

- The Three Soldiers - 

This statue was added to The Wall to give a more traditional look to the Memorial. It was unveiled on November 11, 1984. 

To cover everyone, the three statues were deliberately crafted to portray a specific ethnicity. One is of European descent; another is African while the third is of Latino descent. They used six different men as the models for these statues of which two were active-duty Marines.

The Wall and the statue are made to look as if they're interacting as the soldiers were positioned so it appears they are looking on in solemn tribute to the names on The Wall.

And, as they did with the WWII Vets at their Memorial, they gathered all the Viet Vets for a group shot. As I look at this picture I am grateful to be included but I'm left wondering where all those old men came from. I'm sure each of us was feeling that young man who stepped forward and did their duty those many years ago. 

And the we caught sight of the Korean War Memorial. The memorial commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during the three-year period of the Korean War.

The War was one of themes hard fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, 36,574 Americans died in hostile actions in the Korean War Theater. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea. In addition, 203,384 were wounded during the conflict.

The Mural Wall. The wall consists of 41 panels extending 164 feet. Over 2,400 photographs of the Korean War were obtained from the National Archives. They were enhanced by computer to give a uniform lighting effect and the desired size.

The mural, representing those forces supporting the foot soldier, depicts Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel and their equipment. The etchings are arranged to give a wavy appearance in harmony with the layout of the statues. The reflective quality of the Academy Black Granite creates the image of a total of 38 statues, symbolic of the 38th Parallel and the 38 months of the war. When viewed from afar, it also creates the appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea.

A view of the mural wall with one of the statues in the foreground.

I thought this was a powerful memorial. Nicely done.

By now it was lunch time and so we headed to the FDR Memorial and some tasty box lunches. I tell you, the folks that hosted us have thought of everything. They knew where the rest rooms were, the best Gift Shops, where they had benches . . . all of it. They nailed it.

And so Chris and I sat on a bench overlooking the Tidal Basin, enjoyed the weather and a Grandpa and his Grandson made some small talk.

Oh, and we fed a squirrel, too.

I am always ambivalent about FDR. There was a time when I felt he had saved the nation during the Depression and then led it to victory in a War we were forced into. 

Not so much anymore. I do know my Dad had nothing good to say about him. I am remembering that Dad felt FDR had to have known, beforehand, something about the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. I think that was his sticking point. Plus, I know my Dad did not care one whit for the CCC. I am wondering how he felt about all the New Deal programs and how he grew the government during the Depression and the War.

I do know they put up one mighty big memorial to the man. 

We did a lot of getting on and off the bus that Saturday. After FDR, we were headed downtown to the Navy Memorial. It was easy work with our Police Escort. Hahaha, like a hot knife through butter.

I had never been to the Navy Memorial before nor did I even know we had one.  But there it was, downtown, in the middle of the Big City.

It was for real!!

An interesting memorial with lots going on. It was spread out and had plenty of interesting aspects to it but, well, I was thrown off by seeing it there in the city. It seemed more a park than a Memorial.

I did like the "Lone Sailor" statue.

On the bus again and off to Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While I knew we were there for the ceremony, I wanted to visit with one particular soldier real quick.

Audie Murphy. A quiet and unassuming young man from Texas whose personal bravery made a National Hero out of him. It was an honor for me to visit his grave.

While visiting some cemeteries you may notice that headstones marking certain graves have coins on them, left by previous visitors to the grave. These coins have distinct meanings when left on the headstones of those who gave their life while serving in Amrica's military, and these meaning vary depending on the denomination of the coin.

A coin left on a headstone or at the grave site is meant as a message to the deceased soldier's family that someone else has visited the grave to pay respect. Leaving a penny at the grave means simply that you visited. A nickel indicates that you and the deceased trained at boot camp together, while a dime means you served with him in some capacity. By leaving a quarter at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the soldier when he was killed.

Looking at the coins we can see that there was at least one visitor who had served with Major Murphy in some capacity during combat and one who went through Boot Camp with him. Amazing!!

And so Chris got to visit an American Hero and learn a little bit more about this Country's amazing history. And how it honors its soldiers.

Thank you, Major Murphy.

I am always struck by the solemn beauty of Arlington. If I could (and I know it is not possible) I would choose above all others this cemetery to spend my eternity in. I would be in such very good company.

A Garden of Stone.

When I looked around I noticed that everyone in my Flight had left and gone to where they were holding the ceremony.

Oops!!

Chris and I hot-footed it on over and got in on the tail-end of our group.

This was the highlight of the whole tour.

I'll be honest, I had over 700 pictures to download when I got back and, after some fast editing, was able to whittle that number down to a more manageable 550. And that was with the little camera. I can't imagine what I would have done had I had the G3 X. Yowsers!!

To go through those and pick out the 'just so' pictures for the FB Album and this Chapter was difficult. Very difficult. You're fortunate I am beginning to become more proficient at paring down all those picture. Very fortunate. Because, bottom line, I wanted to use them all. Every. Last. One. Of. Them.

First order was to inspect the on-coming guard.

And then properly relieving the old guard and posting the new one.

Another inspection to ensure the weapon is secure and safe.

And the begins . . . 21 steps, facing movement, 21 seconds, facing movement, move the weapon to the outside shoulder and then . . . 21 steps, facing movement . . . 

I had thought we'd seen the ceremony and so we would be leaving soon. Tight schedule and all that. Then something unusual happened, the Guard moved to the guard shack, made a call and then assumed this position of rest.

I heard the now familiar clacking of the Commander of the Guards shoes and looked to my left and saw this. The Commander, the former Guard and a Color Sergeant. The former Guard was carrying a wreath . . .  from the South Willamette Valley Honor Flight.

The Commander of the Guard turned to his right, stopped and began addressing two Vets of our Flight. A WWII Veteran and a Korean War Veteran.

In the meantime, the Guard and the Color Sergeant turned left and marched out onto the parade deck.

They finally assumed a position at the far end of the Guard's promenade. Handing the wreath to the Color Sergeant, the Guard moved forward and removed the current wreath from the tripod and then took it away, out of sight. He returned shortly and reassumed his position taking the wreath back from the Color Sergeant.

At this point the Commander invited the Vets and their Guardians to accompany him to the center of the deck. The guard and Color Sergeant both stepped off together; the guard moving to in front of the Commander of the Guard and the Color Sergeant taking up a post to an angle to the tripod.

The two Vets stepped forward and, putting a hand on the wreath, helped the guard to place the wreath on the tripod. Then they all moved back to their former positions. When they were back the Color Sergeant blew the sweetest rendition of Taps that I have ever heard. 

We all rendered the hand salute while Taps played. I was proud and humbled.

It was a sweet, poignant moment. Then the Commander escorted the Vets and their Guardians to their wheelchairs and . . .

. . . Detail stepped off in unison and left the deck.

Impressive and done with the proper dignity and pomp.

The Commander said good-bye to the Vets and left and then the Guard began marching his post again. Twenty-one steps, facing movement, 21 seconds and . . . 

I take a certain comfort in knowing that my service has earned me the right to be interred in a National Cemetery by a grateful Nation.

I thought I would play around with the Arlington pictures in a Mash-Up. It is OK. I must learn how to get better at this.

After this it was anticlimactic to visit the Women in the Military Museum. I was not able to give it the attention it deserved plus the Ray family was there. I wandered but I didn't really see anything.

But I did see when we parted again. It's always a melancholy moment for me. I try to do it quickly . . . sort of a 'rip the band-aid off quickly' kind of thing.

But, still, there is that bittersweet, pensive moment of sadness at parting. Always.

Our last stop was to the Marine Corps Memorial.

Visiting this Memorial is made all the more poignant when you think that three of the six men captured in this immortal photograph were killed in combat within a few days of the picture being taken.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is an iconic photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945, which depicts six United States Marines raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, in World War II.

The photograph was first published in Sunday newspapers on February 25, 1945. It was extremely popular and was reprinted in thousands of publications. Later, it became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and came to be regarded in the United States as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war.

Three Marines in the photograph, Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block (misidentified as Sergeant Hank Hansen until January 1947), and Private First Class Franklin Sousley were killed in action over the next few days. The other three surviving flag-raisers in the photograph were Corporals (then Private First Class) Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and Harold Schultz (misidentified as PhM2c. John Bradley until June 2016). Both men originally misidentified as flag raisers had helped raise a smaller flag about 90 minutes earlier, and were both still on the mountaintop and witnessed – but were not part of – the specific moment of raising the larger flag that was captured in the Pulitzer Prize–winning photo

Fitting words

It is a beautiful monument to the Marines and captures their fighting spirit and élan as well as any monument could.

There were only two Marines as Vets on the tour but there were four others who were with us as leaders, Guardians and helpers.

We all gathered for a picture with the Memorial.

We may not look like much but at one time we were young and full of ourselves and ready to take on the world!!

That ended the tour part of the day. Next we were off to the Loudoun Elks Lodge in Sterling, VA for dinner and, to our surprise, Mail Call.

Here my Team Leader, Sean, presents me with my mail call. I decided to wait until I was alone before I opened it up. I figured it was notes from school kids and I wanted to read them when I had the opportunity to appreciate them adequately.

The Lodge gave us a wonderful reception lining the entrance on both sides and applauding as we entered. It was touching. They even had Young Marines there to assist in the dinner.

And they also had some free beer to go with the dinner. Hahaha, I was ready for a brew . . . or two. Those hit the spot!! Several times.

Ol' Grumps and Chris enjoying ourselves. Well, I was enjoying myself.

The Lodge put on a great feed. Delicious chicken and plenty of it. Plus, they had a Mac and Cheese that was, well, pretty damn good!! I only wish I had had some tupperware so I could have taken some of that Mac and Cheese with me for later. It was that good!!

The Elks did themselves proud.

They also gave us this thoughtful gift.

It's a star that was carefully cut out of a retired flag. The edges were sewn shut. It's something each Vet could carry if they wish as a reminder that their service is not forgotten.

Nicely Done, Elks.

And, finally, they presented us with their hat pin. Mine is on the Honor Flight Cap right now. An appropriate reminder of the generosity and gratitude of the fine folks at Loudoun Elks Lodge #2406 in Sterling, VA.

On the bus for the final time that day. Someone remarked that we had gotten off and boarded the bus 11 times during this action-filled day. 

Whew!!

Resting before the dinner, we conned a couple to get a picture of us enjoying each other's company.

Our final day. We were able to sleep in a bit and take a leisurely breakfast. I did enjoy the breakfasts. Hahaha, who am I kidding? I enjoy ANY all-you-can-eat meal . . . whenever I can get to it. But I particularly enjoy the breakfast kind. Mmmmmmmmmm, bacon. Mmmmmmmmmm, sausage. Mmmmmmmmmm, eggs. The Trifecta for Ol' Smilin' Jack.

Then it was on the bus and off to the Air & Space Museum. I admit, I was not enthused about this visit. 

I was wrong.

It was neat, especially so by being able to see the Enola Gay. Here we are getting ready to pick up our docents for the tour.

A well done museum with the exhibits artfully displayed.

And plenty to see while there.

But here was the cherry on top of the cake. The Enola Gay. The actual B29 that dropped the first atomic device ever on the city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay made its fateful trip. It's interesting to note that no one in the crew knew what would happen. For them it was, essentially, a suicide mission and yet they took the chance willingly putting their lives on the line for their honor and their Country.

An interesting blow-up of the cockpit with the Bombadier's position directly in front and centered between the two pilots. This plane has been historically preserved in that everything is original to the day this warplane flew its fateful mission.

I know for my Dad that he always felt President Truman made the right decision. He was a 23-year old sailor who had been in the War since the beginning and at that time his ship was steaming to join the invasion fleet. 

His Destroyer Escort had been converted into a High Speed Transport so it could quickly move toward the shore, drop off the UDT Teams and then the Hell out of Dodge. In the invasion this would have been exceedingly dangerous duty. It's no surprise that my Dad felt Truman made the right choice. I don't think he ever doubted him for a moment.

The decision suddenly becomes a lot clearer and easier when it is your ass that is on the line.

Here's where the Bombardier sat. And this is it. Amazing. 

The actual Norden Bombsight used by Thomas Ferebee. A knee injury kept him from service in the infantry but he was accepted into flight training. After two years of flight school, Ferebee was assigned as a bombardier in the European theater, completing more than 60 bombing missions. 

In the summer of 1944, he was recruited by Colonel Paul Tibbets to be part of the 509th Composite Group which was formed to drop the atomic bomb. After the war, he remained in the Air Force until December 1970. 

After he retired from the Air Force, he worked as a real estate agent in and around Orlando, Florida. Like Tibbets, Ferebee never expressed regret for his role in the bombing, saying "it was a job that had to be done."

Chris used his fancy iPhone 10 "MAX" to capture this shot of the entire ship.

Amazing technology for its day. An amazing mission to end the war.

Another neat part was this . . .

The Space Shuttle, Discovery. 

I believe we saw this craft at Fort Bliss when it flew piggy-back on a 757 back to Houston after a mission.

You can see the wear and tear on the front plates that protected the craft from the intense heat during reentry.

Whup!!

Time for another picture with my favorite 20-year old Guardian/Grandson. Hahaha, he still likes me after two days of constant association. I'm a lucky guy.

I found this interesting. In this shop, a part of the museum, they restored the old aircraft for display.

They have two choices; to use any parts, new or old to recreate the ship or, 2, to preserve it with its original equipment, even down to the paint schemes. Tough choices and a difficult job either way.

Whup!! There's the Enola Gay again. I was fascinated by the nose of the plane where decisions were made that resulted not only in the end of the war but in the destruction of thousands of people.

What a waste.

You can make the kids 20-years old but you can't make him act like it.

We did have some fun although he was useless when it came to buying souvenirs for the Rays.

We had a box lunch there at the Air & Space Museum and the we boarded the bus for the last stop on our tour before we headed to the airport for the flight back to Portland.

And on the way we passed the Pentagon again. There's a lot of history there in that building.

Our final stop was the U.S. Air Force Memorial. The three spires reaching up into the sky represent the contrails of three Blue Angel aircraft executing the 'Bomb Burst' formation.

And I was playing around and wanted to catch an idea of the beautiful view from the Memorial. So I shot six pictures and 'stitched' them together. You get the idea.

And because I was nearby I was asked to join the fun here and flex our 'Alaska Air' guns for a thank-you picture. And, yeah, we got photo-bombed.

Michelle was in the right place and she offered to take the group picture for the entire flight at the Memorial. And she did.

Yeah, Knucklehead is considering joining the Air Feces and going into Security like Cade did. Actually, Chris told me that he had discussed HIS plans with Cade and then went to his summer job. When he got back he found that Cade had 'borrowed his ideas' and was on his way to Air Farce Boot Camp. Hahaha, I had to point out that Cade would always be senior to him by virtue of TIS regardless of who's idea it was originally.

But he's a good Trooper. I think he'll be going in soon.

And Mama Bear with her Cub. I think she's prefer Chris' joining the Chair Force rather than the Army or the, 'shudder', Marines.

The Three Monkeys with their monkeys. It was fun seeing them and spending some time with them.

Our last bus ride.

At the airport one of the Guardians, Brad, a Marine, presented me with some very kind words and this Challenge Coin. On the front side was the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.

While on the reverse it showed my rank when I ETS'd from the Marines.

It was fun being a Marine only for the weekend. I purposely didn't mention my Army service. I was going on the trip for my service in Vietnam as a Marine and, for just this weekend, I didn't want to muddy up the waters by having to explain I'd joined the Army two years after I got out of the Marines. 

For the weekend I was just a Marine.

We had a great reception, far more than I had expected, at the Portland Airport. It was impressive and, once again, embarrassing for me. I got through as fast as I could and then enjoyed applauding the other Vets.

Here's Tom, the fellow I rode to Salem with and who was giving me a ride back to my car is being greeted by his Granddaughter.

They had a Honor Guard and a bagpiper who walked with us all the way out to the busses.

Very nice.

But before we boarded the buses we all gathered at the Memorial to the Armed Forces inside the airport. I am on the right-hand side.

When I got back to the Shack, I opened up my mail and, wow, they had folks write to ME. 

This is just one example of the letters I received from adults and kids.

Very nice.

What an adventure. And it was made all the more special by having Chris as my Guardian . . . and then having the Ray Family join me for most of the tour.

It is memorable for me. I have tried to explain but, honestly, I received more genuine and heartfelt expressions of gratitude in those few days than I had ever gotten in the 50 years since I came back from Vietnam.

I am so glad I was afforded this opportunity.

Hooah!!