By Mike Finney

DOVER — The tears welling up inside of Army veteran Greg Fleming’s eyes told the story of what Delaware’s inaugural Capital Region Honor Flight on Thursday meant to him and 23 other veterans as they traveled to Washington for a day fit for a king — in military fatigues.

When the day neared its end and the red, white and blue Honor Flight bus returned to Bally’s Dover on U.S. 13 just after 8 p.m., something unexpected and extraordinary greeted the group.

Hundreds of people lined both sides of the hallway just inside the entrance to Bally’s hotel and greeted the veterans with high fives, hugs and banners thanking them for their service.

“This reception is a hell of a lot different than a lot of us got 55 years ago,” said Mr. Fleming, a resident of Lewes. “It had to have been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever encountered in or out of the military. That’s the only way to describe it.

“The planning, the organization, the police escorts from here to there … (organizers) Jenny (Brawley) and Bill (Welser), and all the people who were involved, they’re a dream to work with. It was an amazing 24 hours.”

Perhaps the military veterans and their traveling mates got a clue that it was not going to be an ordinary trip to Washington earlier that morning.

Many of the guests of honor glanced out the windows of the bus and noticed other drivers pulling over and letting them cruise on past, many of them saluting the bus as it moved by.

They soon learned that police departments from Dover all the way to Washington had escorts set up so that they could travel nonstop to see war memorials spread across the nation’s capital.

The free tour of the memorials — which was sponsored by GE Aerospace — began with a stop at the under-construction Air Force Memorial, just across from the Pentagon.

But a couple of the day’s several stops seemed to rank high on all of the veterans’ lists of memories — a drive through the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, before watching a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They also got a glimpse of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly referred to as “The Wall.”

Penny Schneider, Bob Agurs, Sarge Bolen and Mr. Fleming got the chance to participate in the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“I’ll remember Arlington (National Cemetery) the most. But many parts of it were very good,” Ms. Schneider said. “It was a special honor — very special. Those (guards) are unbelievable and clearly so proud of what they do. I think it was absolutely wonderful. It was meaningful. It was very emotional.”

There were special treats included throughout the day, such as countless people around Washington stopping to shake the veterans’ hands and thank them for their service, plus a performance by a U.S. Marines Corps precision drill team.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Mr. Agurs, a Navy vet and a Middletown resident. “It was one of the best days that I’ve had. I really enjoyed the trip to the monuments. Everything was very nice. I can’t complain.”

Gus Bloom is an area director for Mission BBQ — including the Dover location — and served as a guardian for Lenny Hirsch, one of the veterans on the Honor Flight.

Each veteran was assigned a guardian who was there with them throughout the day to take care of any needs they may have had and ensure their safety.

Mr. Bloom said it was an experience that he will never forget.

“Seeing that police escort that happened (that) morning was incredible and it just kind of set the tone for the day,” he said. “Being able to sit next to somebody who served our country and hearing the stories and the pride — not just from him, but from everybody — was definitely special for me.

“Two things really stood out for me. One was when we did see the Marine brigade perform, just how excited (Mr. Hirsch) was for that, but also how excited he was to talk to the Marines after that.

“The second thing was how meaningful it was for him to see The Wall, find a name on the wall and what that name meant to him. It wasn’t somebody he knew. It was somebody whose kid he met.

“Just seeing that impact on somebody who served our country was really, really special.”

Delaware’s first Honor Flight was hosted by Capital Region Honor Flight, a consortium that hosts trips for veterans in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Mr. Welser, who served as commander of the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base in the early 1990s, certainly hopes it will not be the last.

“It would be great if Delaware in the future could have their own hub,” he said.

Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
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