World War II Vets have a special place in my heart. 50 million people lost their lives fighting for our freedoms. Having family members in the World War II effort “brought it’s seriousness home”.
I have mentioned before that there are “honor flights” organized to fly veterans of World War II to Washington D.C. to visit the relatively new World War II memorial. Included is a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and parts of the Smithsonian. Most World War II vets are now in their mid to late 80’s. They are dying at a rate of 1000 per day. The remaining vets are really “national treasures”.
EAA last week arranged an honor flight for veterans to fly out of Wittman field in Oshkosh early on Thursday morning. Disabled vets were accompanied by family or medical personnel. Leaving from Oshkosh was special. Many veteran pilots of World War II return annually to Oshkosh.
The “honor flight” included 80-100 World War II veterans. After visiting the different Washington D.C. memorials and sharing personal life stories, the flight was designed to return to Oshkosh at 8:00 PM. The arrivial coincided with the end of the air show. The veterans were greeted by 20,000 air show attendees. I can only imagine the emotion of the veterans receiving a standing ovation as they exited the aircraft. It gives me goose bumps.
It is interesting that it took so long to pay tribute to World War II veterans. They returned from the War and quietly created a prospering nation. They were under appreciated at the time. They are finally getting a just tribute.
My regret is that I couldn’t be one of the 20,000 fans waiting to welcome the vets back from Washington. My fear is that 65 years after their effort to preserve freedom, the a–holes in Washington are slowly taking those freedoms away. Don’t let it happen! Stand-up for your rights and freedoms.
Love,
Dad