Honor Flight
“Caring for our veterans is the duty of a grateful nation,” By Amanda Renkiewicz
W
e are all recipients of the greatness of our veterans and their sacrifices for our freedom. While many worthy charities help honor our armed forces, one philanthropy goes above and beyond, quite literally, to grant veterans an experience like none other. The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight program offers veterans a free Tour of Honor. Veterans are flown to Washington, DC, and escorted to the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifices. As explained by their website, “It is a day of remembrance, reconciliation, and honor. It’s like getting a hug from America. It may have taken America over 60 years to construct the WWII Memorial, but we feel it’s about time these Greatest Generation heroes get to see it”. Volunteers called Guardians are personally assigned to each Veteran to ensure that they are properly cared for comfortably and safely. The organization is funded by individuals across the state who recognize the great accomplishments and sacrifices of veterans, and want them to see their memorial before it’s
too late. The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight gratefully accepts donations from anyone except the Veterans who will be flying with them. GATHER Veterans was honored to interview Rick Birndorf, a major supporter and Guardian for a recent flight, who shared his incredible experience: “I was fortunate enough to be invited this past September to be appointed as a Guardian to accompany an 88-yearold Korean War Navy veteran to Washington DC. There were 65 WWII, Korean, and Vietnam war veterans on our flight. I was able to experience firsthand the incredible organization that is the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight. From the minute I arrived at Camp Grayling, the Honor Flight Staff of all volunteers took charge and organized my next two days to perfection. I was placed into a training class that covered all the potential issues facing a planeload of 65 men and women who averaged close to 85 years of age. All of the guardians were required to attend this
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