Honor Flight at Home pays tribute to Marion area veterans

Andrew Carter, Marion Star
Updated ·4 min read
Honor Flight at Home was held Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion. Sixteen veterans from the Marion attended the event with their families and were recognized during the ceremony. Attendees gathered in the hallway of Tri-Rivers to shake hands with and say "thank you" to each of the veterans as they left the building at the end of the program.

Marion area veterans and their families gathered to be recognized during the 2023 edition of Honor Flight at Home. The local event was established in 2018 as a way to honor those veterans who are not able to make the traditional Honor Flight trips to Washington, D.C.

Founded by Marion County resident Margie Saull, the Honor Flight at Home event in Marion is an offshoot of the national Honor Flight organization that provides trips to the nation's capital at no cost to veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars. Veterans and their chaperones visit the various memorials during the one-day trip to Washington.

Frank Hickman, a veteran of the United States Army, was the keynote speaker for the Honor Flight at Home program. He served in Vietnam, with NATO forces in West Germany, and stateside during his career. He rose to the rank of captain before retiring from active service.

"It is a privilege to stand before you on this day as we recognize you for your service to our country," Hickman told the sixteen veterans and their families who gathered last Saturday at Tri-Rivers Career Center. "On this day, we also recognize your family members. As we all know, veteran families also bear the burden of military service. The separation, the worry, and often the pain of military service. If you are a family member, again I thank you, and I appreciate you being here today."

In his speech, Hickman focused on the topics of history, duty, and mission. He prefaced his talk with what he called "a powerful quote from Abraham Lincoln" from the 16th president's "1862 address to Congress as he urged the members to ensure emancipation through a Constitutional amendment."

Veterans listen as Capt. Frank Hickman, United States Army retired, delivers the keynote address during the Honor Flight at Home event held Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion.
Veterans listen as Capt. Frank Hickman, United States Army retired, delivers the keynote address during the Honor Flight at Home event held Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion.

"'Freedom is the last, best hope of earth,'" Hickman quoted from Lincoln's address. "The last, best hope. As a student of American history, it is my considered belief that, beginning with the founding of our country, freedom is perhaps the true definition of these United States of America."

Hickman noted that "the role of our American history is to inform, to inspire, and to remind each of us who we are and how far we have come as a country and as a people. It is a dynamic narrative about the progress of freedom."

"Our freedom as the citizens of this great country. It is also a reminder that we truly are blessed with the heritage of generations of Americans who repeatedly renew that definition of America by serving in our armed forces," he said. "The veterans that we honor here on this day exemplify the American heritage, that heritage of service to country."

In providing a definition of what it means to be a veteran, Hickman, stated, that "Veterans are those who fought, and continue to fight, for our country."

"He, and each of you, is a symbol of America, both here and abroad," Hickman explained. "A symbol of strength and of honor that each of us can learn from and aspire to."

Veterans were invited to stand and sing when the anthem of their specific branch of the military was played during the Honor Flight at Home event on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion.
Veterans were invited to stand and sing when the anthem of their specific branch of the military was played during the Honor Flight at Home event on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion.

Sixteen veterans attended this year's Honor Flight at Home event in Marion. There were eight Vietnam War veterans, five Korean War veterans, and three veterans who served during the Cold War, Saull said. Following is the complete list of veterans who attended the 2023 program:

  • Dale Butts, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

  • Glenna French, U.S. Army, Korean War

  • Bill Hershner, U.S. Army, Cold War (1955-61)

  • Jim Jacobs, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

  • John Keggan, U.S. Air Force, Korean War/Cold War

  • Eugene Mayer, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

  • Don McCracken, U.S. Air Force, Korean War/Cold War

  • Dale McGinnis, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam War

  • Larry Medley, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

  • Fritz Miller, U.S. Army, Korean War

  • Dick Nye, U.S. Navy, Vietnam War

  • Jim Osborn, U.S. Navy, Korean War

  • Ron Sherman, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

  • Bill Strohl, U.S. Army, Cold War (1955-61)

  • Rae Thompson, U.S. Army, Cold War (1955-61)

  • Jim Young, U.S. Army, Vietnam War

Saull said 32 veterans attended the first event in Marion in 2018, followed up by 27 attending in 2019, and 17 last year. The event was canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saull encouraged the veterans and their families in attendance last Saturday to invite other veterans and their families to attend the 2024 Honor Flight at Home Marion event. She said it will be held next June once again at Tri-Rivers Career Center.

Veterans or their families interested in attending an Honor Flight at Home event in Marion can contact Margie Saull by email at saullgw4@yahoo.com or by telephone at 740-360-8902.

For information about Honor Flight Columbus, go to its website www.honorflightcmh.org.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Crowd told each veteran is 'symbol of America' at Flight at Home event