On the 9th May, 2017 a group of 23 veterans living in Kentucky set off on an Honor Flight with their destination being Washington DC. There they would get to visit all the memorials dedicated to honoring America’s veterans, including Iwo Jima, the Korean and Vietnam Monuments and the changing of the guard.
The veterans gathered at the Owensboro Sports Center and as Sheriff Keith Cain of Daviess County, Kentucky said they were about to set off on a trip that they would never forget. The veterans with their guardians were then escorted with a motorcycle cavalcade to the airport where their plane awaited them.
Gray, one of only four WWII veterans on the outing, said that he was honored to be included in the trip and that he was looking forward to seeing the memorials especially those dedicated to WWII.
One of the organizers of the Honor Flights, Barbara Poynter, said that it is a fact that there are more and more Vietnam and Korean veterans on the flights as the WWII vets are now over 90 years of age and many of them very frail so they are unable to be included.
She added that the vets from the Vietnamese and Korean conflicts held the WWII vets in very high regard and would unhesitatingly give up their seats on the flight in favor of a WWII veteran, Tristate Homepage reported.
The Honor Flights aim to provide transport for veterans to visit Washington and see the memorials and while the veterans change the purpose of and support for the flights does not.