Veterans from Okeechobee and Glades Counties were treated to the flight of a lifetime last week when they flew on an Honor Flight.

Southeast Florida Honor Flights (SFHF) normally makes four trips each year. Veterans are charged nothing for any part of their journey. Each veteran is assigned a guardian who is tasked with making everything about the day special for the veteran. These guardians pay their own way for the trip, and this allows SFHF to use 100% of donations to ensure the veterans can make their trips for free.

On May 31, 26 veterans were loaded onto a bus at about 3 a.m. outside the volunteer fire department in Buckhead Ridge. They were driven to the West Palm Beach Airport and boarded their flight along with approximately 50 more veterans and a guardian for each veteran on the plane. Many of the things the veterans experience are not known to the public because they are meant to be a surprise for the men and women on the flights. However, each veteran asked spoke of the raw emotions they felt as they were greeted at the airports in both Washington, DC and in West Palm Beach on the return flight.

“There were probably 500 people there — servicemen, law enforcement, girl scouts, boy scouts, families — all waving flags and holding signs and hollering. It was enough to make me emotional, and I’m not that sort of man,” said Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford.

A second veteran, who said he served in the Marines, said if you know anyone who is eligible to go on one of the flights, tell them to go. It was well worth the trip.”

Joe Mansfield said, “All I can say about the trip is the fact that it was a humbling and emotional experience.”

Veteran Tommy Griffin, veterans’ advocate from Congressman Scott Franklin’s office said he went on an honor flight and was so moved by the experience that he sponsored another veteran’s flight after he returned home.

A Vietnam veteran said when he got off the plane and saw the people waiting to welcome him home, he had tears running down his face. He said his return after his tour of duty was not as welcoming. He and his fellow servicemen and women were advised not to wear their uniforms for the trip home. They were spit on, called baby killers and some were even beaten.

A female veteran said, “I don’t understand why it was that way. Didn’t they know the men were drafted. They were boys and had no choice but to go.”

The following is a list of the veterans from Okeechobee and Glades Counties who went on the May 31 Honor Flight:

* Michael Achy

* Vladimir Alexandrow

* Mark Brandel

* Janice Cherenzia

* James Craig

* Larry Davis

* George Eads

* Christopher Fineout

* Verle Hennings

* Andrew Kay Jr.

* Vance Keller

* John Kenbeek Jr.

* James Kreitner

* Thomas Lynch

* James Malone

* Walter Malone

* Joe Mansfield

* Gary Miles

* Ronald Mixon

* Jay Molyneaux

* Allen Murphy Sr.

* John Pettit

* James Pippin

* John Waack

* Dowling Watford

Guardians and staff from this area were:

Adam Brandel - guardian

John Eads – guardian

Christine Gilliam – guardian

William Hoadley – guardian

Paul Hiott – staff

Kim Major – staff

Gary Miles Jr. – guardian

Samantha Stinnett – guardian

Eric Stuble – guardian

When the flights arrive in Washington, DC, the veterans are loaded onto deluxe motor coaches and are treated to a police escort throughout the day so they can make it quickly through the traffic.

The SFHF website describes the sites and experiences, “The highlights of every trip are our stops at the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials where you will have ample time to visit and reflect on your service and the service of others.  Besides visiting these locations, every trip includes visits to other destinations, but the itineraries may vary. Trips typically include a stop at The Air Force Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.”

After these excursions, the veterans return to the airport for their flight home.

The original SFHF organization was started by one man, Earl Morse, who was a retired Air Force captain. He worked in a veteran’s hospital and wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for 27 years. When he realized that the majority of the veterans who served our country would never be physically or financially able to go see the WWII monuments in Washington, D.C,, he decided he would try to get them there himself. In December 2004, Mr. Morse, who was a private pilot, asked two of his WWII veteran patients if they would like to fly with him, free of charge, to see the memorials. Both veterans accepted enthusiastically.

The following year, he recruited six more pilots to help him transport more veterans to visit the memorial, with the stipulation that all expenses would be paid by the pilots and that the pilots would personally escort the veterans around the city all day. Soon six planes flew 12 veterans to Washington, D.C. By the end of the year, 137 WWII veterans had been transported to see their memorial.

In 2006, they began using commercial flights exclusively and began partnering with other community leaders. Jeff Miller of Hendersonville, N.C., began hiring airlines and flying 30, 40, 50 at a time.

In February 2006, Mr. Morse and Mr. Miller met, combined their efforts and called themselves Honor Flight Network. Now, they have flown over 250,000 veterans to see the memorials, all completely free of charge. There is a waiting list, but due to their age, WWII veterans are given priority, he explained.

Since 2009, 3,969 veterans from Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee, Glades and Palm Beach Counties have flown to Washington, DC as of May 2024.

To read more about Honor Flights, visit the website at honorflightsefl.org or visit them on Facebook at Facebook.com/honorflight. You can also call them at 855-FLY-A-VET (359-2838).

[All photos included in this story were taken by one of the trip’s guardians Elaine Davis.]