Veterans smile as they are welcomed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia as part of Honor Flight Kentucky’s May 18, 2024 mission. COURTESY OF HONOR FLIGHT KENTUCKY
Honor Flight demonstrates gratitude for veterans’ service
BY ANDY TELLI, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, each year, the nation pauses to show its gratitude and appreciation for its military veterans.
That also was the mission of Bill Blincoe, director of project/risk management for the Diocese of Owensboro’s McRaith Catholic Center, earlier this year when he served as a guardian on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., for more than 60 veterans.
“I was so honored to be part of this,” Blincoe said. “It increased the respect I had for the sacrifices these guys made.”
Honor Flight Kentucky sponsors three flights a year so that World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans can visit the many war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery in the nation’s capital, explained Kelli Parmley, the organization’s executive director.
Between 60 and 65 veterans are on each flight, and each is accompanied by a guardian to help them, some of whom have trouble walking because of health issues, as they visit the various sights throughout what is a long day. The flight also includes staff and volunteers from Honor Flight Kentucky, medical personnel, and various guests. Typically, nearly 150 people fill a commercial airliner for the flight, Parmley said.
Blincoe was invited to serve as a guardian by his son-in-law Zach Farmer, a former Green Beret, who works for District Court Judge Lindsay Hughes Thurston in Lexington. The judge is a member of the board of directors of Honor Flight Kentucky.
The judge “had asked my so-in-law to act as a guardian,” Blincoe said. “They needed another guardian. My son-in-law reached out to me. … I said I’m there.”
Blincoe himself is not a veteran, but his father and father-in-law, as well as his son-in-law, were. “I have tremendous respect for anybody who’s done it,” he said.
A banner reading “Welcome Veterans – America Thanks You for Your Service” is seen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, as the participants of Honor Flight Kentucky’s May 18, 2024 mission arrive. COURTESY OF HONOR FLIGHT KENTUCKY
The traveling party gathered at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington early on a Saturday morning to prepare for the flight to Washington.
It was at the airport that Blincoe first met the Vietnam veteran he was to serve as guardian. “I introduced myself to him and told him how honored I was to make this day special for him,” Blincoe said.
After landing at Reagan National Airport, the group typically visits the Iwo Jima and Air Force memorials, the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, and Arlington National Cemetery, Parmley said. “We plan that arrival time about a year out because we want to make sure we can participate in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Parmley said.
After lunch at the Women’s War Memorial, the group visits the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, The Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“My guy wanted to see the Vietnam War memorial, the wall,” Blincoe said, and they were able to find the name of the veteran’s friend who had died in the war, he said.
The day was filled with emotional moments, Blincoe said. “One of the really uplifting and interesting things about the whole day, anytime we left the airport, anytime we arrived … you’d have large groups of people anywhere we went lined up and clapping. It was pretty cool.”
Before flying back to Lexington, Honor Flight Kentucky organized a mail call for the veterans, like the ones they had when they were in the service, Blincoe said. Each veteran received a package of letters from school children and others from the Lexington area expressing gratitude for their service.
Blincoe’s veteran “was delighted. He had 50 pieces of mail. He opened and read each one,” he said. “It was a moving experience for everybody in there.”
It was a day Blincoe would love to repeat. “If called, I’d do this in a heartbeat,” he said. “If anything, it just solidified my respect and honor for these people.”
Andy Telli writes for The Western Kentucky Catholic from Owensboro.
To learn more about Honor Flight Kentucky, visit www.honorflightky.org.
Children and families holding handmade signs and wearing patriotic attire welcome the veterans of Honor Flight Kentucky’s May 18, 2024 mission to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia. COURTESY OF HONOR FLIGHT KENTUCKY
Originally printed in the November 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
