Triad Honor Flight, Veterans Day

an ‘unbelievable trip’

By PATTI STOKES Five days after the first local honor flight in 10 years landed back at PTI Airport on Veterans Day, Stokesdale resident Alison Huber was still running on adrenaline. Since establishing Triad Honor Flight, an independently incorporated hub of National Honor Flight, in early 2020, Huber, who serves as the nonprofit’s executive director, has been on a mission to rally an army of volunteers and raise the over $110,000 needed to send a group of local veterans to Washington, D.C., for a day to visit the memorials that honor their service and the service of their comrades, family members and friends. It all came together on Veterans Day, and Huber couldn’t be more gratified by the results. The 95 local veterans who traveled to our nation’s capital on Nov. 11 ranged in age from 65 to 100 and served in WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Many got emotional throughout the day as they rekindled memories of their war experiences. For some, the cheering crowd and enthusiastic “Welcome Home” they received upon their return at the end of the day helped at least a little to make up for the one they didn’t receive decades ago. “It was an unbelievable trip,” and “It was a day that changed my life,” were just some of the comments Huber has received from the veterans in the last few days. Just like them, she’s still taking it all in – while at the same time making plans for another Triad Honor Flight next spring. Visit www.triadhonorflight.org to learn more about the program, sign up to volunteer, or donate to help fund a local veteran’s one-day trip to Washington, D.C., next spring.

Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO While speaking to a news reporter, Alison Huber looks up at her father, Jay DeWitt, whom she credits for being the inspiration behind her reviving the Triad Honor Flight program after it had been inactive for 10 years. Earlier in the day, DeWitt and Huber’s mother had flown into PTI Airport from Cincinnati; the couple waited at the airport for several hours so they could be there to surprise Huber when she arrived on the Triad Honor Flight from D.C. Seeing them was indeed a surprise, and a very heartwarming one to witness!

View more photos from this event at facebook.com/ NorthwestObserver

Photos by Patti Stokes/NWO Veterans from WWII, the Korean War, Cold War and Vietnam War arrived at PTI Airport on Nov. 11 to hundreds of family members, friends and patriots who were enthusiastically cheering, waving flags and bearing signs thanking them for their service. Photo courtesy of Alison Huber Oak Ridge residents Paynie Stafford, 98, a WWII veteran, and Mac Abbitt, 90, a Korean War veteran, stand with a handmade sign thanking them for their service. Stafford and Abbitt were among the 95 veterans, ranging in age from 65 to 100, who traveled on the Triad Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on Veterans Day.