Guest AuthorIn May of 2010 I had the privilege of joining Maj. Gen. C.R. Davis at the Panama City Airport to welcome home WWII veterans who had participated in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
The concept of an Honor Flight is the brainchild of Retired Air Force Capt. Earl Morse. He wanted to honor veterans by providing them an opportunity to travel to Washington to visit the national war memorials. The idea quickly took off. The first flights took place in 2005 when six small planes were used to transport 12 war veterans to D.C. Now thousands of Honor Flights take place each year.
As I drove to Panama City to welcome home the veterans — I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am certain the veterans returning from Washington had no idea what was waiting for them when they returned.
As the doors opened, it took a few minutes for the first veteran to make his way off the plane. As each one came off the plane, Davis shook his or her hand. I had the honor of shaking their hands as well. Many came off the plane in wheelchairs.
Though many were hobbled, they all had a gleam in their eye.
What awaited each veteran was something to behold. Behind me and the general, cheering people formed a pathway for the veterans to exit the airport.
As each veteran reached what appeared to be the end of the human path, they had to turn to the right to travel the full length of the terminal. When they did, they were greeted by 800 cheering people lined up on both sides of the terminal.
A marching band played patriotic music. At the end of the terminal, they made their way under the Eglin Air Force Saber Team. I was so proud of the respect and love the citizens showed those veterans.
Sadly, part of the government shutdown initially included the National World War II Memorial as well as the Vietnam War Memorial. National Park Service employees put up barricades to keep people from visiting these open-air war memorials.
The first veterans to arrive at the WWII Memorial after the shutdown moved the barricades so they could visit the memorial. Since then, most veterans and tourists have simply been ignoring park rangers, walking around the barriers and visiting the sites.
With more than 1,000 Honor Flights scheduled to arrive in Washington the first week of the shutdown, it quickly became obvious that keeping veterans from the memorials was a very bad idea.
Because of the shutdown, all national parks and monuments have been closed throughout the country. The Biscayne National Park in South Florida — which is mostly water — has been closed.
These closures represent government arrogance at its worst. The national parks, monuments and war memorials belong to the people. Preventing citizens from these “public places” is wrong.
The brave men and women coming home to Panama City from the Honor Flight put their lives on the line to preserve our liberty. The memorials honoring them should not be held hostage because of a fiscal policy debate.
Honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans — take down the barricades.
