VETERANS PRESS: Flight of a lifetime
Early morning Oct. 9 and the skies above Spokane International Airport were crisp and clear. Inside the terminal, 107 local veterans, along with about 80 guardians, enjoyed a complimentary breakfast and coffee. Lots of coffee.
Then the boarding began for another Inland Northwest Honor Flight: four Korean War era veterans, over 100 Vietnam War era veterans, and two female veterans, including yours truly. I spent my Navy duty working at the Pentagon and this was my first return visit in 53 years. Lots of emotions running through my body — and all the others aboard.
We arrived at Dulles International Airport late afternoon to a warm welcome of locals waving flags and posters. Our first stop of the trip was the Air Force Memorial overlooking the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. This 402-foot memorial of three stainless steel spires, which opened in October 2006, represents the Air Force Thunderbirds peeling back in a “bomb burst” maneuver. Evening lights began to show the beauty of the Washington Monument across the Potomac River. I could hear the bugle sound of retreat and could picture the flag being lowered across the way on Fort Myer where I had lived in the Tri-Service Women’s Barracks.
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