We are always so fortunate when our June Honor Flight falls at the same time as Flag Day, which makes a stop at Fort McHenry even more special.
For this summer flight, four Chautauqua County veterans and one Cattaraugus County veterans enjoyed getting to know each other on the way to Buffalo and back via our County Veteran transportation for the meet and greet breakfast and meeting on Saturday, June 7, prior to the June 13-14 trip to Washington, D.C. on Southwest Airlines. These meetings pack in so much – the veterans meet Tom Petrie, the President of Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight, the many other volunteers, including the medical crew (just in case), who have planned everything out for months, and last but not least, the other veteranss and travel companions. While all of that is going on, they enjoy a wonderful breakfast and learn what to expect on their flight.
The flights always have an incredible array of special touches and war memorial visits that are packed into a 2-day stay in Washington, DC. (Amazingly, it used to be all packed into one day). However, this year the June 13-14 flight also happened to be when Washington itself was celebrating the 250th birthday of the Army and it was so thronged that some of the usual sightseeing and one tour stop needed to be replaced with Plan B so that they didn’t get stuck in any one place. Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight is so adept at folding in Plan B, C, or D, that the flight agenda remains seamless, and knowing ahead of time always helps.
Enjoy the accompanying photos, and if you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, who would like more information about this free trip for Veterans and how to apply, please call Barb at the Fenton History Center – 716-664-6256.
