SYRACUSE, New York (WWNY) – On Tuesday, we took a trip to Washington D.C. with north country veterans. Now we look at the pageantry of the Honor Flight program as the veterans return home.
Parading down the halls of the Syracuse airport, veterans were greeted by a raucous crowd as they returned from Washington, D.C.
Families, other veterans, and folks just wanting to say thank you gathered to cheer on a group of more than 80 vets, mostly from the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
It was a warm and emotional welcome home.
“They’re getting off the airplane thinking they’re gonna go to their cars and head home, and all (of) the sudden there’s a thousand or two people here yelling and screaming,” said Rob Schoeneck, vice president of operations, Honor Flight Syracuse.
The Honor Flight program started in 2004 when the World War II Memorial was first dedicated. As of 2022, a quarter of a million veterans have made the trip to D.C. to see the monuments built for them.
“They’ve earned what we’re doing. These memorials were built in their honor and we’ve got to make sure that they get down and see them before they pass away. It’s why the whole thing got started back in 2004 and we’re just carrying on that tradition,” said Schoeneck.
Schoeneck is one of the many people who make the Syracuse flights happen.
Since 2012, dozens of nurses, friends, and family members have planned out and helped see through two trips a year.
After 19 flights, about 1,400 veterans from Central and Northern New York have flown to D.C.
Kim Sell made the most recent trip as the “guardian” for Watertown Navy veteran Clancy Peters. Sell knows Clancy through JCC’s athletics department, but she says it was years before anyone learned he was a veteran.
“It’s very nice that many veterans, who are quiet, or who go and do their jobs very, very well have a history that we don’t know about and they should be recognized,” said Sell.
“It was well worth the trip for coming down and other veterans should put in for it, too,” said Peters.
It’s a long day in D.C. With tours of the monuments of the wars each veteran served in, it can be a lot for the aging vets. That’s where the “guardians” come in.
“My son has been doing yeoman’s duty here pushing me around. I would never be able to make the various memorials and monuments here without his help,” said George Sheehan, a veteran from Black River.
“It’s been a fantastic program, definitely very glad I got to be part of this and proud I was asked to be his volunteer for the day,” said
Dan Sheehan, George’s son.
There is a lengthy waiting list for veterans to get on an honor flight. Some wait several years after applying.
“I really didn’t think they were gonna call at all, and then one day they did,” said Ken Benson, a veteran from Carthage.
“Figured health or whatever would take me before it happened,” said George Sheehan.
Some veterans who sign up never get to make the trip. They are honored by a flag placed at the monument for the war they served in.
Schoeneck wants veterans to know the flights are open to all who served.
“We have so many veterans that say, ‘Oh, no. It’s not for me, it’s for the guys that got wounded or lost a limb.’ That’s not true. It’s for every veteran that ever served and it’ll be one of the best days of their life,” he said.
You can apply online at honorflightsyracuse.org. They have a flight each April and September.
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