Post by Tim Collins on Nov 8, 2009 9:21:34 GMT -7
What a great organization making this possible.
post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/544491.html?nav=5018&showlayout=0
Veteran Takes Flight Of A Lifetime
By Kristen Johnson kajohnson@post-journal.com
At the end of June, Edward Rhoney, a Blanchard Street resident, took a flight to Washington, D.C. But it wasn't just any trip - it was an Honor Flight and, for Rhoney, the trip of a lifetime.
Rhoney is a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served during World War II and the Korean War. A Navy medic, he was stationed at the Medical Corps School in San Diego, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Charleston, S.C., and at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Banana River, Fla. during World War II. For his service, he received both the American Theater Ribbon and the World War II Victory Medal. During the Korean War, Rhoney served at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Charleston and in Banana River.
But like so many World War II veterans, Rhoney, 83, suffers from a laundry list of health problems that include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia and diabetes. That's one reason why the Honor Flight was so special for him.
''He was really looking forward to this,'' said Rhoney's wife, Irma. ''In the pictures our kids took, you can see how happy he was to be with them and, in particular, see the World War II memorial. It was such an amazing, special trip for him.''
ABOUT HONOR FLIGHT
The Honor Flight Network was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain who wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Morse was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May 2004, the newly completed World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. became a topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.
Morse asked his patients if they would visit ''their'' memorial and most felt that eventually, they'd make it to Washington, D.C. But as the men, many in their 80s, came back for follow-up visits, many told Morse that it simply wasn't possible, whether financially or physically, to make the trip.
But Morse wasn't satisfied with their answers. Himself a private pilot and a member of an aero club located at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, he decided to take it upon himself to make sure the veterans were able to see ''their'' memorial. In December 2004, Morse asked one of his patients for permission to fly him to Washington, D.C., free of charge, so he could visit the memorial. As he realized how much such an offer would mean to other veterans, Morse sought help from pilots in his aero club in January 2005. He asked only two things - that the veterans would pay nothing for the trip and that the pilots would escort the veterans around Washington, D.C. for an entire day. Eleven pilots stepped up to help and the Honor Flight Network was born.
To date, the Honor Flight Network has flown more than 18,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. so they can view the memorials and statues erected in their honor. Though the network serves veterans of other wars, priority is given to World War II veterans and those suffering from terminal illnesses.
Most Honor Flights are completed within one day. Typically, veterans fly out of a regional hub early in the morning and are greeted upon arrival in Washington, D.C. where they board a tour bus that takes them to the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Because he lives too far from an airport Honor Flight uses as a regional hub and could not do the tour in one day, Rhoney was able to take part in the Honor Flight program as a Lone Eagle. With the Rhoneys' daughter, Helen Neu, as a guardian, Rhoney was able to fly into Washington, D.C. on June 26, meet up with a larger group of participants from all over the country and tour the memorials June 27 before returning home June 28.
In addition to visits at the various memorials, Rhoney's trip also included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. to view the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and stops at the Naval Memorial Plaza and the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C.
'IT WAS AMAZING'
Rhoney and Ms. Neu from Buffalo to Baltimore, Md. They drove into Washington, D.C. where they were able to meet up with with the Rhoneys' son Christopher, who is a medical corps independent duty medical technician in the Air Force and currently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. There were about 30 veterans on the trip with Rhoney.
''A number of gentlemen on the Honor Flight with Ed were terminally ill,'' said Mrs. Rhoney, who was unable to go on the trip. ''They came from all over the country - Arizona, New Mexico, Washington State and the northeast. The kids told me that Ed was so excited that, during the night they stayed at a hotel before the tour of Washington, he'd get up and start to get ready to go and they'd have to convince him he had to wait a few more hours.''
Remembering the trip gives Ms. Neu goosebumps.
''It was so touching,'' she said. ''It gives me goosebumps to talk about it. I remember that we stopped in Hamburg for food and there were people wearing USO T-shirts who came up and spoke to Dad. The guy who helped us with our baggage at the airport was a Navy man who insisted on calling Dad 'Seaman Rhoney.' When we went into restaurants, people would applaud and cheer. When we were out and about in Washington, people would come up to us and shake dad's hand and take pictures. It was just amazing - it was like the whole country opened its arms to us. It was one of the best experiences I could have shared with my father.''
Rhoney is a participant in the Chautauqua Adult Day Care. In a written statement, center officials said they are ''proud'' to have a local hero in their midst.
''Our veterans have earned the respect and admiration of the United States for the service they have provided in defending our country - both those who made it home and those who lost their lives,'' center officials said. ''These men and women are heroes who have given much for our country.''
Christopher Rhoney agreed. After he returned to Andrews Air Force Base following the trip with his father and sister, he wrote a letter to his fellow medics.
''These (veterans), now in the twilight of their lives, have come to grips with knowing that their sacrifices all those years ago were a part of something monumental,'' he wrote. ''Many of them shared stories with each other that they had never told anyone before as they became, for a brief moment in time, young men again. For about a quarter of them, it will likely be their last major trip as they have been diagnosed with various terminal illnesses. Those men found the strength to make one last trip, in just the same way that they found the strength to prevail when they were in uniform defending our country. It was an honor to spend time with them.''
For Ms. Neu, the most rewarding part of the trip came after she and her father had arrived back at his home in Jamestown.
''The night we got back, I had gone up to bed and Dad was downstairs in the kitchen with Mom getting his medicine. He came to the bottom of the stairs and called up to me, so I got out of bed and stood at the top of the stairs. He said 'Thank you for taking me to Washington.' It was such a surprise to hear him say that and to know that he wasn't prompted to do it. It usually takes Dad a long time to formulate a comment about something. It meant so much to me to know that he understood what we had done that weekend.''
Ms. Neu said families everywhere need to ''do this with their veterans.''
''I can't think of a better thing to have done with Dad,'' she said. ''I hope people realize that our veterans are passing away each and every day. Every family should try and do something like this. I won't ever lose the memories we made.''
post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/544491.html?nav=5018&showlayout=0
Veteran Takes Flight Of A Lifetime
By Kristen Johnson kajohnson@post-journal.com
At the end of June, Edward Rhoney, a Blanchard Street resident, took a flight to Washington, D.C. But it wasn't just any trip - it was an Honor Flight and, for Rhoney, the trip of a lifetime.
Rhoney is a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served during World War II and the Korean War. A Navy medic, he was stationed at the Medical Corps School in San Diego, at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Charleston, S.C., and at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Banana River, Fla. during World War II. For his service, he received both the American Theater Ribbon and the World War II Victory Medal. During the Korean War, Rhoney served at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Charleston and in Banana River.
But like so many World War II veterans, Rhoney, 83, suffers from a laundry list of health problems that include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia and diabetes. That's one reason why the Honor Flight was so special for him.
''He was really looking forward to this,'' said Rhoney's wife, Irma. ''In the pictures our kids took, you can see how happy he was to be with them and, in particular, see the World War II memorial. It was such an amazing, special trip for him.''
ABOUT HONOR FLIGHT
The Honor Flight Network was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain who wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Morse was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May 2004, the newly completed World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. became a topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.
Morse asked his patients if they would visit ''their'' memorial and most felt that eventually, they'd make it to Washington, D.C. But as the men, many in their 80s, came back for follow-up visits, many told Morse that it simply wasn't possible, whether financially or physically, to make the trip.
But Morse wasn't satisfied with their answers. Himself a private pilot and a member of an aero club located at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, he decided to take it upon himself to make sure the veterans were able to see ''their'' memorial. In December 2004, Morse asked one of his patients for permission to fly him to Washington, D.C., free of charge, so he could visit the memorial. As he realized how much such an offer would mean to other veterans, Morse sought help from pilots in his aero club in January 2005. He asked only two things - that the veterans would pay nothing for the trip and that the pilots would escort the veterans around Washington, D.C. for an entire day. Eleven pilots stepped up to help and the Honor Flight Network was born.
To date, the Honor Flight Network has flown more than 18,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. so they can view the memorials and statues erected in their honor. Though the network serves veterans of other wars, priority is given to World War II veterans and those suffering from terminal illnesses.
Most Honor Flights are completed within one day. Typically, veterans fly out of a regional hub early in the morning and are greeted upon arrival in Washington, D.C. where they board a tour bus that takes them to the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Because he lives too far from an airport Honor Flight uses as a regional hub and could not do the tour in one day, Rhoney was able to take part in the Honor Flight program as a Lone Eagle. With the Rhoneys' daughter, Helen Neu, as a guardian, Rhoney was able to fly into Washington, D.C. on June 26, meet up with a larger group of participants from all over the country and tour the memorials June 27 before returning home June 28.
In addition to visits at the various memorials, Rhoney's trip also included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. to view the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and stops at the Naval Memorial Plaza and the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C.
'IT WAS AMAZING'
Rhoney and Ms. Neu from Buffalo to Baltimore, Md. They drove into Washington, D.C. where they were able to meet up with with the Rhoneys' son Christopher, who is a medical corps independent duty medical technician in the Air Force and currently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. There were about 30 veterans on the trip with Rhoney.
''A number of gentlemen on the Honor Flight with Ed were terminally ill,'' said Mrs. Rhoney, who was unable to go on the trip. ''They came from all over the country - Arizona, New Mexico, Washington State and the northeast. The kids told me that Ed was so excited that, during the night they stayed at a hotel before the tour of Washington, he'd get up and start to get ready to go and they'd have to convince him he had to wait a few more hours.''
Remembering the trip gives Ms. Neu goosebumps.
''It was so touching,'' she said. ''It gives me goosebumps to talk about it. I remember that we stopped in Hamburg for food and there were people wearing USO T-shirts who came up and spoke to Dad. The guy who helped us with our baggage at the airport was a Navy man who insisted on calling Dad 'Seaman Rhoney.' When we went into restaurants, people would applaud and cheer. When we were out and about in Washington, people would come up to us and shake dad's hand and take pictures. It was just amazing - it was like the whole country opened its arms to us. It was one of the best experiences I could have shared with my father.''
Rhoney is a participant in the Chautauqua Adult Day Care. In a written statement, center officials said they are ''proud'' to have a local hero in their midst.
''Our veterans have earned the respect and admiration of the United States for the service they have provided in defending our country - both those who made it home and those who lost their lives,'' center officials said. ''These men and women are heroes who have given much for our country.''
Christopher Rhoney agreed. After he returned to Andrews Air Force Base following the trip with his father and sister, he wrote a letter to his fellow medics.
''These (veterans), now in the twilight of their lives, have come to grips with knowing that their sacrifices all those years ago were a part of something monumental,'' he wrote. ''Many of them shared stories with each other that they had never told anyone before as they became, for a brief moment in time, young men again. For about a quarter of them, it will likely be their last major trip as they have been diagnosed with various terminal illnesses. Those men found the strength to make one last trip, in just the same way that they found the strength to prevail when they were in uniform defending our country. It was an honor to spend time with them.''
For Ms. Neu, the most rewarding part of the trip came after she and her father had arrived back at his home in Jamestown.
''The night we got back, I had gone up to bed and Dad was downstairs in the kitchen with Mom getting his medicine. He came to the bottom of the stairs and called up to me, so I got out of bed and stood at the top of the stairs. He said 'Thank you for taking me to Washington.' It was such a surprise to hear him say that and to know that he wasn't prompted to do it. It usually takes Dad a long time to formulate a comment about something. It meant so much to me to know that he understood what we had done that weekend.''
Ms. Neu said families everywhere need to ''do this with their veterans.''
''I can't think of a better thing to have done with Dad,'' she said. ''I hope people realize that our veterans are passing away each and every day. Every family should try and do something like this. I won't ever lose the memories we made.''