Mike McFadden (Jarhead), who served as a Marine from 1973-1976, recently had the honor of participating in the laying of the wreath ceremony at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. McFadden traveled to DC with Kansas Honor Flight #43 as a veteran and as a guardian. In this group was one WWII vet, three Korean War vets and 34 Vietnam vets. McFadden was assigned the only WWII veteran, Pat Doon (91) from Wichita, KS.
“This was the most emotional experience ever! It was all very overwhelming, especially the homecoming at the airport. It was very different from stepping off the plane in 1976.”
Honor Flight is a non-profit organization and was created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. Honor Flight is dedicated to providing veterans with honor and closure. Their mission is to transport America’s Veterans to Washington, DC, to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of themselves and their friends. When they transport our heroes to D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials, top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.
Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out.
In 2015, 20,886 veterans have flown with Honor Flight and 19,093 Guardians. Since 2005, 159,703. There are 21,032 veterans on a waiting list.