Not long after the crack of dawn on Wednesday, May 10, a 737 rose from the tarmac at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport. Aboard the flight were roughly 130 veterans being lifted into the skies, bound for Dulles International Airport.
Upon landing, the veterans were met by cheering crowds, some waving American flags, who lined the causeway past their arrival gate, and were also serenaded by a chorus of elementary school children singing "God Bless America".
Then they took buses from Virginia into Washington, D.C. and spent the day visiting many of the memorials honoring veterans in our nation's capital, and were recognized for their own service.
After a busy day they boarded a Sun Country Airlines flight back to Fort Dodge Regional Airport. Upon landing the plane passed under a water salute from the Airport firefighters. And as the veterans disembarked in evening darkness, lit up by the lights of the airport, they were greeted by another cheering crowd, and another serenade – this time from a band made up of current and alumni members of the Triton Band of Iowa Central Community College.
Among those on the flight this year were two Wright County veterans, Steven Brunes and Frank Siemens. Last year, a larger local group from Wright County included (in alphabetical order) Roger Abbott, David Bonin, Roger Ewing, Conrad Grunwald, Mark Hinton, Kriss Hiveley, Steve Olson, Charles Peil, and Larry Thayer.
The honor flights were the brainchild of Fort Dodge's Ron Newsum. Newsum's original goal was to honor his father, the late Clem Hentages (who had served in the Navy during World War II) with a trip to the nation's capital. With the help of some volunteers, the first Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight was organized in 2010. This May's flight was the 23rd flight the group has organized in the past 13 years.
The Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight is a 501c3 Corporation. To this day the flights are still organized by volunteers (there are no paid staffers) and funded by what their fundraisers can arrange. The sole purpose of the Honor Flights is to give all our area veterans the opportunity to go to our nation's capital in Washington D.C., and see THEIR memorials in person. No tax dollars are spent on the flights, and no wealthy corporations are paying the bills, either. It is the generous contributions of ordinary people, as well as businesses, and organizations which make the whole thing possible.
On today's Honor Flight committee are volunteers (in alphabetical order) Lee Bailey, Orene Cressler, Peg Dettmann, Craig Malloy, Russ Naden, Newsum, Julie Reed, Mel Shroeder, Charlie Walker, and Marlene Welander.
If you would like more information about the flights, contact Julie Reed (in Wright County) at (515) 851-0121 or the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight, or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/BCAHF/.
