Early Saturday, August 27,2022, Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight took its 224th flight, once again taking to the skies with 99 veterans aboard a 737 Sun Country Jet from Minneapolis. Among those 99 veterans were 13 Peacetime, 4 Korean War Veterans, and 82 Vietnam Veterans. They were all dressed in red shirts and red caps. Backpacks were given to each veteran to hold all their personal belongings for the one day trip.
Those from Wright County consisted of 1 Peacetime, and 7 Vietnam Veterans. Also, aboard were staff and a medical team consisting of a doctor and 3 nurses or EMT's.
Also, aboard the flight were 5 folded American Flags that were to represent those veterans who were scheduled to be on the flight, but passed away before it took off. Each flag was carried either by a volunteer or veteran along with a photo of each veteran to each of the visited memorials, with the thinking they couldn't be there in body but in Spirit. The flags are also the first to come off the plane and be presented to each family member of the deceased veteran. Veterans from Wright County scheduled to go on this flight were all able to go.
The first destination once in flight was to Dulles International Airport in Virginia. There they were welcomed by hundreds of "Greeters" thanking them for their service. Once they got through the terminal the boarded coach buses that took them into D.C. These buses were used for the entire day of touring.
The first Memorial Wall they visited is the Korean War Memorial. Then the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the Nurses' Memorial. All are absolutely Stunning! Off in the distance beyond the reflection pond they were able to see the Washington Monument. The veterans had ample time to visit and reflect on each memorial. Etchings were made at the Vietnam Memorial which is a black granite wall that lists over 58,000 names of veterans who lost their lives in the service of our Country. A National Park Service Volunteer is there to help those that would like to have an etching of some of the fallen soldiers whether family or friends.
Directly across from the Vietnam Memorial is the Vietnam Women's Memorial. This commemorates the 265,000 Nurses' that served in This War. It is a 2000 pound bronze structure which stands 15 feet tall & depicts three women tending to the wounded.
The Korean Memorial is also amazing, depicting four amazing words. Stating that "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE" on a black granite wall. Also, there are 19 thousand pound stainless steel statues representing service members from each Military Services. A black granite reflection Wall is at this memorial as well. It commemorates almost 44,000 American lives lost
After boarding the buses, lunch was given to all veterans as they took a bus tour of Washington Mall, where they would be able to see the Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, Ford Theater, White House, and The Pentagon. The buses then transported the veterans to the World II Memorial. A beautiful memorial in its own right. 56 columns surround this memorial in the form of honor. Columns represent the 48 states of the union and eight territories, each recognized on the outside of each column. As you enter, a wall of 4000 gold stars with each Star representing 100 Americans who lost their lives in this war. Over 400,000 lives were lost.
Other stops included the Marine Corps Memorial for Iwo Jima, the Navy Memorial, the Air Force Memorial and Arlington Cemetery to witness The Changing of the Guards and to view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
After visiting these memorials it was back to Dulles International Airport where they would head back to Fort Dodge. The flight was scheduled to return around 10:30 p.m., but because of a storm cell that lingered over the Fort Dodge area, the flight crew decided to make a trip back to Minneapolis to refuel. The passengers on board touched down safely at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport safely around two o'clock in the morning in still rainy weather. Inside the terminal many of those still waiting to see the safe return of veterans and welcome them home still remained.
Those veterans who were on the flight from Wright County were Roger Abbott of Clarion (Navy), David Bonin of Belmond (Navy), Roger Ewing of Clarion (Army), Conrad Grunwald of Woolstock (Marines), Mark Hinton of Clarion (Army), Kriss Hiveley of Goldfield (Army), Charles Peil of Belmond (Navy), Larry Thayer of Rowan (Army). Steve Olson of Belmond was also aboard as doctor for the flight.
