75 veterans prepare for takeoff ahead of 2nd annual Honor Flight trip
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area is preparing for takeoff for its second annual trip to the nation’s capital.
The Honor Flight takes veterans who have served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to Washington, DC to see the memorials for the wars they fought in. Servicemembers who have life-limiting illnesses are also welcome to apply. Recently, the Honor Flight Network opened up applications for veterans who have served before 1975.
Before last year’s trip, the Honor Flight last took off from Wilmington International Airport in April 2011. It was set to return in April 2021 but was delayed to April 2022 because of the pandemic.
As the Honor Flight prepares for its second annual trip, veterans who took flight last year reflected on their experiences.
Retired Sergeant George Schwartzman served in the First Infantry Division of the US Army during the Vietnam War. When he came home from service, it wasn’t a warm welcome.
“I never had a good day in Vietnam but one of the greatest memories I have is the Honor Flight,” Schwartzman said. “I hailed a cab driver to go back home and the cab driver wouldn’t take me. He said no, I’m not letting you in my cab.”
Fortunately, the Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area gave him the welcome home he deserved.
“The Honor Flight is one of the highlights of my life,” Schwartzman said. “It was fantastic. I can’t say anything more than the people that came with us and volunteered and made us important. That’s one of the things, I felt I was important.”
One of this year’s honored veterans is Major Craig Kern. After serving in the Air Force, Kern was one of the founding pilots of Honor Flight. Earl Morse, the founder of Honor Flight, asked members of the Aeroclub to fly a group of World War II veterans to Washington, DC from Ohio in 2004.
“Craig was a very influential flight instructor, flight examiner, safety monitor, and mentor to all of us at the Aeroclub. I am so glad to see, after so many years, he will be on the receiving end of all his pioneering efforts to get Honor Flight off the ground (literally)! I believe he’ll be impressed with how far the program has come!” Morse wrote. “As an original Honor Flight pilot, given his esteemed position within our aeroclub (at that time, the largest in the nation with over 300 pilots), Craig brought INSTANT creditability to our fledgling efforts.”
From pilot to passenger, Kern will take flight again on Saturday, nearly ten years after his first flight.
“It was quite an honor then to participate in the flight itself,” Kern said. “Now being an honored veteran certainly is an honor being able to see more of the memorial in Washington that I wasn’t able to see at the first year.”
The Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area invites the community to be a part of the welcome home celebration following Saturday’s trip. Anyone interested can arrive at Wilmington International Airport around 8:30 pm on Saturday.
For more information on the welcome home celebration and how to apply for next year’s flight, visit here.
