By David Gjestson and Jim Huntoon
The national Honor Flight Network
is comprised of 140 affiliates located in 45 states that honors World War II,
Korean War, Vietnam, and other conflict veterans with day-long visits to war
memorials in Washington, D.C. More than 300,000 veterans have been honored
since the inaugural flight in 2005.
Each chartered air flight costs
about $130,000 and is paid for by the
sponsoring organization which obtains its funding from grants and gifts as a
501 (c) (3) charity. Thousands of organizations and individuals donate to the
Honor Flight Network annually to fund meals, shirts, jackets, hats, and various
gifts to veterans as well as providing support materials like wheelchairs,
water coolers with water, and snacks. Other volunteers include medical staff,
water dispensers, memorial guides, and photographers.
The Badger Honor flight is a
regional affiliate of the national organization. This year, Jim Huntoon
(National Guard veteran) and David Gjestson (Vietnam Navy veteran) joined a
group of 90 veterans and 50 volunteer guardians on a Badger Honor Flight that
has now served more than 5,000 Wisconsin veterans since joining the national
network in 2009.
Jim served as an
Howitzer Section Chief in a Field Artillery Branch of the National Guard/Army
32nd Division from 1960 to 1964. He was on active duty six months in 1960 at
Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Still and a year at Fort Lewis when the 32nd became
regular Army during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961-62.
David received his
officer’s commission at Newport Rhode Island in 1964 and served from 1965 to
1967 as a weapons officer on the U.S.S. Hancock (CVA 19) for three tours in the
Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam.
Each veteran could select a
guardian (not including a spouse) from his own family to accompany him or her
on the trip at a cost of $500. The veteran and the guardian attend a half-day
training session in advance of the Honor Flight to receive instructions on what
is expected of them as well as to obtain shirts and jackets…red color for
veterans and blue for volunteers.
Jim Huntoon selected his daughter
Ruth Roper to accompany him. Ruth works in the warranty department for Veridian
Homes in Madison. She and her husband, Michael, live just three miles from her
parents in rural Brooklyn.
Jim and Ruth enjoy a quick cup of coffee and
some pastry before boarding the Honor Flight.
I selected my son, Christopher
Gjestson to be my guardian. Chris is employed as Budget Section Manager,
Division of Public Health, Department of Health Services and lives in Marshall,
just down the street from his daughter and two step-daughters. Guardians
assisted any veteran needing help during the trip.
David and Chris
Gjestson
(The story that follows will be
told as it happened to me October 12, but the same story unfolds for Jim on
November 2.)
Getting to the airport by 4:45
a.m. was not the most pleasant part of the trip. However, from then on, a
series of volunteers took us through registration, picture taking, and a coffee
and rolls table before being seated in one of four color-coded sections. We
would stay in the same group to board the plane and the appropriate color-coded
bus when we arrive in Washington, D.C.
Veterans and their
guardians assemble in four sections prior to boarding
I can’t adequately describe how
terrific our friendly, gracious treatment was at the Madison airport. More
handshaking and “Thank you for your service” than I could count! A choir who
sang patriotic songs! A flag honor guard and salutes as we walked to the plane.
Volunteers handing us our bagged breakfast with smiles and “Enjoy your flight”
greetings. We felt very special.
The charter flight to
Washington D.C. accommodated 150 vets and
guardians and a dozen volunteers
including medical personnel
Jim and I were both very surprised
that our flight to Washington D.C. took only an hour and a half! We cleared
security through one very long line, passed through the airport quickly and
boarded one of four, waiting Greyhound-style busses.
The large, comfortable
busses had a color-coded plaque
mounted on the windshield to insure vets could
find their proper place!
The first stop was the Iwo Jima
memorial where we took an hour to take pictures at our leisure and eat a bagged
lunch before being called in for a group photo in front of the memorial. I took
advantage of the assemblage to take one of the guardians too!
The entire assemblage
of vets consisted of Korean War, Vietnam War, and other conflicts with all
service branches represented
Guardians included
siblings, sons, daughters, and friends of Honor Flight
veterans.
The next stop was Arlington
Cemetery where there was time to check out Audie Murphy’s and Challenger
Astronaut’s grave sites along with the US Marine Memorial before witnessing the
famous Changing of the Guards ceremony.
The changing of the guard was in dead silence except for the clicking
of soldier heals and the slap/click of firearms inspections
Moving on to the Lincoln Memorial
was a highlight for many because it took in not only the marvelous, historic
view of the National Mall and Washington Monument, the scene of Martin Luther
King’s poignant, “I have a dream” speech. It is also an easy walk to the
Vietnam and Korean memorials.
The massive statue of
Abraham Lincoln overlooks the National Mall
Some 32 million
visitors a year visit the National Mall
These life-sized
statues greet visitors to the Vietnam Memorial Wall
The famous black marble wall bearing the names of more than 58,000 soldiers that died in the conflict are presented in chronological order of their death
Often called, “The Forgotten War,” the Korean War memorial presents a haunting
view of soldiers moving in combat
Ruth and Jim admire
the artistic etchings depicting a Korean war battle scene
A short bus ride later took us to
the World War II Memorial. It should be noted that at each site, volunteers
manned water coolers at the bus stop and at scattered locations at the memorial
to insure everyone stayed hydrated. Snacks were also available and medical
volunteers in easily identifiable blaze yellow shirts were always present.
The arc way leading
into the World War II Memorial
The mall walk in the World War II Memorial passed a reflective
pool and many artistic fountains.
Next, we crossed the Hudson River
for a short bus ride to the FDR Memorial and a walk to the Martin Luther King
Memorial getting a splendid view of the Jefferson Memorial on the way (we
didn’t visit this site).
A scenic view of the
Jefferson Memorial viewed across the Hudson River
FDR in his concealed
wheelchair with his equally famous dog, Fala, a Scottish Terrier.
Eleanor Roosevelt was
a highly visible political figure, a skilled diplomat,
and bold activist for civil and human rights.
This huge statue of
Martin Luther King Jr. was in tribute to his role in the civil rights movement. The memorial surrounding the statue consisted of a series marble monuments
containing famous quotes made by him.
Our final bus trip took us to the
outside fringe of the Arlington Cemetery and the site of the spectacular Air
Force Memorial constructed in 2006. The site contained honor guard statues,
historical monuments, and a splendid, sky soaring, architectural wonder! As an
unannounced treat, we saw the gigantic military pentagon about one quarter mile
away!
Statues of an Air
Force honor guard welcomes visitors
The Air Force Memorial is the most recently constructed. Its three, stainless steel spires
called,“Soaring to Glory,” represent the contrails of the Air Force Thunderbird’s
bomb-burst” formation and extend up to 270 feet in the air
While not part of the
tour, alert visitors could see the gigantic Pentagon building a short distance
to the east
The flight back from Washington,
D.C. was about two hours in duration into the wind and we all enjoyed a late
bagged supper. A surprise “mail call” had us all mystified and I was quite
taken aback when a volunteer stopped next to my row and called out, “David
Gjestson! He handed me a large envelope that contained 35 cards and letters
from relatives, friends and strangers congratulating me for my service! Jim
received the same mail call.
Jim and Dave were both
surprised when “mail call” was announced on the plane and they received cards
and letters from relatives, friends and even some strangers thanking them for
their service
We were all greatly relieved
landing at the Madison airport after such a long, but very entertaining day. It
was about 9 p.m. and we endured the usual long delay in dis-embarking before
standing in a long line that was hardly moving. What now?
All of us were told that the line
was moving slowly because some gifts were being handed out to us. Being military
trained to “hurry up and wait,” no one really objected to the slow pace. We
received a nice packet of treats and photographs of our group as well as a
personal picture. We then proceeded to a room that was full of military
personnel. What the heck?
An army officer in dress uniform
with lots of medals quickly approached me and shook my hand firmly and patting
me on the shoulder. “Welcome home!” he said. “Thank you for your service sir!”
pressing a round, Honor Flight medal in my hand. Before I could respond,
another officer approached me, shook my hand, and told me how proud he was of
my service!
The security room I was in was
located adjoining the escalator leading to the floor below. It was filled with
other military personnel in camouflage clothing, and two of them (a male and a
female) approached me, shook my hand, and told me they were going to assist me
down the escalator! I told them I didn’t need assistance but they insisted! The
female grabbed my arm and the male grabbed my belt from the rear and they
hustled to to the escalator.
What Jim and I saw when we got to the
head of the elevator was simply unreal! A massive crowd was below cheering and
applauding! “What is this?” I asked my escorts. Grinning from ear to ear, they
replied, “They are here for you!” I was awe struck as the escalator took me to
the floor below. Proceeding into the crowd lined up 3-4 deep for as far as I
could see, all I could do is keep repeating, “Thank you!” and tipping my hat
over and over! (I was completely unaware that Chris was following me close
behind!)
Hundreds of
cheering, applauding people paid tribute to the veterans arriving in Madison
After walking a hundred feet or
so, I spotted my wife Laura waving a sign with an enlarged picture of me in my
dress whites! I rushed over and kissed her as the audience applauded the deed!
I then realized my two granddaughters were next to Laura and embraced them! I
then saw Peggy Llontop (Chris’s ex-wife) and hugged her! I then saw my oldest
son Scott waving a sign of me too! What a homecoming!
Spotting my wife in
the crowd, I did what was necessary to express my gratitude for such a
tremendous welcome home
(L to R) Scott Gjestson, Laura Gjestson, David Gjestson, and Christopher Gjestson
Of course, Jim Huntoon and Ruth
experienced the same, unreal, unforgettable greeting by a large crowd. Their
surprise was seeing Jim’s wife Esther and a lot of old friends!
(L to R) Michael Roper (son in law), Dan Peterson (Mikes boss), Esther Huntoon, Sandy Peterson, (Mikes boss's wife),
Sarah Lenz, (Sherill Slack’s daughter), Sherill Slack, (Jerry Slack's wife).
We would learn later that most of
these people at the Madison airport had returned many times over the years to
witness the event and be able to pay tribute to those who served. It is an
honor that Jim and I will never forget!