Flightless Honor Flight brings D.C. to Effingham

Nov. 11—For many veterans, taking an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. is an incredibly important and emotional experience. But for older veterans, the trip can be difficult, even impossible, due to physical limitations.

Sarah Bush Lincoln and the Effingham City/County Committee on Aging (ECCOA) joined forces with Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to organize a "flightless" Honor Flight for local veterans, which took place in Effingham earlier this week.

Eighteen veterans took part at the Effingham County Senior Center Monday afternoon following another flightless Honor Flight event held by the same organizers in Mattoon earlier that day.

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight provides free flights to Washington D.C. for veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Veterans visit the nation's monuments, including those memorializing their branches of military service as well, as those who lost their lives serving alongside them.

Visits include stops at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the National Air and Space Museum, all of which veterans at the senior center were able to see during their flightless Honor Flight experience Monday.

The flightless Honor Flight, which included an hour-long video of a previous Honor Flight, was led by Land of Lincoln Honor Flight Veteran Coordinator Steve Wheeler and Land of Lincoln Honor Flight President Joan Bortolon.

"You guys did the hard work, and don't ever forget that," Bortolon said. "Every day we wake up free is a good day, and because of what you did, your service and your sacrifice, all of us can have a lifetime of good days.

"And we thank you for that."

One of the nearly 20 area veterans who took part in the program was Jack Dobbs, 73, of Farina.

Dobbs served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972, during the Vietnam War.

"I was stateside," Dobbs said. "I started in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and then I went to Fort Leonard Wood. They had the big Vietnam draft at that time."

During his service, Dobbs had to constantly be prepared to quickly get on a flight to Vietnam.

"But they never did call us," Dobbs said.

After the flightless Honor Flight, Dobbs said he appreciated seeing so many members of the community take the time to come to the senior center to thank them for their service. He hopes to one day experience an actual Honor Flight.

"It's nice," Dobbs said of the program here in Effingham. "I've sent in an application to actually go on the flight. I haven't been notified yet."

Another Army Veteran who took part, Leo Shuler of Effingham, said he served in the military from 1956 to 1957, with most of his time being spent in Virginia, not far from the memorials he saw during the event at the senior center Monday.

"When I was stationed out there, we used to sometimes get together and go see them all," he said.

Shuler, 89, is already signed up to go on a real Honor Flight soon, and he said he's even more excited for the trip now that he has a better idea of what to expect.

"It's been really nice," Shuler said. "I've seen that Korean (memorial), and that is quite moving.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Wheeler, who's been with the organization for six years, also spoke during the event, thanking the veterans in attendance for their service and encouraging others to sign up to be a guardian on a future Honor Flight.

"We're the face of Honor Flight, but there are dozens and dozens of volunteers that make this thing happen," Wheeler said. "We could not put a flight on without the guardians."

Two Honor Flight guardians, Faye Pearson and Kristi Sabo, also encouraged attendees to volunteer on upcoming Honor Flights and reflected on their own experiences with the organization.

Pearon said her father served in World War II, and her late husband served in the U.S. Army.

"When I found out about this Honor Flight, I thought, 'I want to do this,'" Pearson said. "I took six veterans, and I can't go anymore because I'm passed 70."

Over the years, serving as a guardian for both Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Pearson said she's grown to particularly enjoy watching veterans receive their welcome home at the airport at the end of the flight.

"I still get emotional when I watch it, and I wish you guys could all go," Pearson said. "This movie's great, but when you experience it, it's just something different."

Sabo, who has been helping with Honor Flights for more than a decade as both a guardian and a nurse, also claimed that the part of the journey when veterans are welcomed home by citizens thanking them for their service is the most special.

"I've been on the Honor Flight at least eight times already," Sabo said. "There's no better experience than that. All my veterans have told me that, too."

At the end of the flightless Honor Flight, area residents came into the room to express their appreciation for the gathered veterans, and each veteran was given a bag of mail with letters thanking them for the sacrifices they've made. That proved emotional for the veterans, several of whom had tears in their eyes as they read them.

Patty Hood of Sarah Bush Lincoln told the veterans that she had only recently learned about flightless Honor Flights before helping to organize the event that is the first of its kind in the area.

"You are my heroes," Hood said. "The flights are still very active and are still going forward, but we also know how rigorous the flight can be. They're gonna take you on a trip that you're not gonna forget."

Director of Effingham Senior Services Linda Hubbartt also spoke during the program, telling attendees that she's been honored to talk to veterans and hear their stories.

"Patty Good from Sarah Bush, when she first approached me for this is event, I was just like, 'What an honor to be able to honor our veterans in such a manner,'" Hubbartt said. "I just know the sacrifices that our families and you all made for our country."

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com

or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.