Honor Flight Veterans land in Baltimore, overwhelmed with emotion


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BALTIMORE — Imagine leaving your home while you're still in high school. Not to get a job or prepare for college, but to go to war.

Imagine coming back home years later, long after the war ended. Your parents pick you up at a train station in the middle of the night. There are no parades, no gratitude, and you spend the rest of your life wondering if what you did really mattered.

There are 53 veterans with the Utah Honor Flight headed to Washington, D.C., on a free trip to see their memorials — and as they're finding out, the country hasn't forgotten about them.

This spring, the Utah Honor Flight is heading to our nation's capital constantly. This is the third of four flights in five weeks. Much of the summer and winter are off-limits, as the weather prevents most veterans from being outdoors, so the window is tight. Organizers hope to take as many as 400 veterans to Washington this year, and time is of the essence.

"The issue is the age," said Utah Honor Flight Chairman Mike Turner. "They're all dying so fast. We want to get them on these flights to see their memorial before they're unable to do so."

The waiting list grows by the day. Frequently, Honor Flight volunteers call the number on an application, hoping to give some good news to a veteran's family, only to hear the worst.

"It's heartbreaking," said Turner. "They've applied, and we couldn't get them there quick enough — they became ill and passed away. It's just incredibly hard to visit with the family and know that we should've gotten them there, had we had the time and the money to do it."

Those veterans who are able to make the trip often find themselves with the feelings it evokes.

"I have a real problem with emotions," said Army Air Corps veteran Bill Turner. "So I'm doing the best I can."

Turner served in Europe during World War II. He also had a twin brother who served in the war. On board the plane to Baltimore, Turner took part in what the Honor Flight refers to as "mail call," hoping to stir decades-old memories of when these veterans received letters from home while serving overseas.

Turner opened letters from friends, family and kids from his daughter's classes at school. The memories this mail call brought back left him in tears.

"I think mostly of the time we spent away from home. The war years. We didn't do anything special. We just did what we had to do."

Upon their arrival in Baltimore, Turner and the other veterans received a welcome many of them never expected, as each one entered the gate to a sea of applause. Despite being treated like heroes, many of them remained humble.

"I feel guilty," said one. "A lot of people stayed home and did as much as I did."

Friday, the veterans will tour Washington, with stops at the World War II Memorial, the Navy Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and many others. To donate to the Utah Honor Flight, visit utahhonorflight.org.

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Ray Boone

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