Dear Editor,
Several weeks ago, I was visiting the V.A. clinic in Moab and mentioned that I was in the Navy from 1945 to 1947. I was told about the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., and that they would like to submit my name. I told them that would be nice. I gave them information about my experiences, in particular going to the South Pole on Admiral Byrd’s expedition in 1946-47 called Operation Highjump.
A few weeks later, I received a phone call from Rhonda Withers of the Utah Honor Flight telling me that I was selected to be on that flight to the nation’s capital.
On May 12, my daughter, Dorrica Brewer, was my guardian for this trip. We flew from Salt Lake City to Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
When we landed, we were greeted by members of the military and civilians, who applauded and shook our hands. There were 48 veterans so honored on this venture.
We boarded a bus which took us to the Westin Hotel in Washington, D.C., where we were greeted by more people. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner there and turned in for the evening.
The next morning we had breakfast and boarded the bus to visit the war memorials, including World War II, Korea and Vietnam, after which, we went to Arlington National Cemetery. There, we enjoyed watching the Changing of the Guard – one of the highlights of our visit. Many police officers, highway patrolmen and members of the military shook our hands and expressed their appreciation for our dedication to our country.
On our return to the hotel, we attended a banquet in our honor and were presented with the Victory Medal. The following morning, we boarded the bus and were driven to Fort McHenry, where many visitors greeted us with open arms. Following that, we were bussed to the Armory in Baltimore, where throngs of people were there to applaud us. Then, we each received a book of America’s history and an American flag.
This was one of the best, if not the best, experiences of my life. God bless America.
