Honor Flight

It's hard to explain this to someone who has not served. Most people, at some point in their lives, have done something that has given them a personal feeling of, "Job Well Done." A feeling of accomplishment. Something where you have done something that helped someone without intending to specifically help yourself. Magnify that feeling a thousand fold and it begins to approach how we feel, generally, about our military service. In the civilian world, First Responders take on roles and responsibilities that come closest, and sometimes mirror, what veterans go through.

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This service changes all of us. We did it gladly. Most of us would step up again today if called, even knowing the demands and sacrifices that would be asked of us. All of us have scars of one sort or another. Some are relatively minor. Missed dinners with family. Missed events. Some are not. Army Private First Class Isabella Gonzales will not have any more scars.

 

Ever...

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This trip acknowledges what we did. It is a way to tell us that what we did is important, that the sacrifices and scars have meaning. We know that they do, but it is an acknowledgement from outside of us that someone besides us recognizes that as well. Each veteran takes this trip with a volunteer guardian. This guardian is typically at least one generation, and oftentimes two, younger than the veteran. In addition to acknowledging the veteran's contribution to the freedom this country has, this trip has the benefit of showing that guardian another facet of the worth of not only the veteran they are with, but the sacrifice all veterans have made for them. To date, over 250,000 veterans have made this flight. Every veteran flew free of charge.