This past weekend, Saturday, April 30, 2011, I escorted my mom on the Southern Middle Tennessee Honor Flight. This is a trip for World War II veterans to see the WWII Memorial. My mom is 87 years old and is doing fantastic, but walking very long is a chore for her. We flew in and out of Huntsville.
We left Winchester WalMart at 4:15 a.m. and returned at around 11 p.m. Same Day! Long Day.
The first hint that this was going to be something special was the police escort of the bus from Manchester and Tullahoma to Winchester. Didn't realize it was an escort till they headed out before us with lights flashing. They led us all the way to the Alabama state line. The world was so dark in Huntsville because of the electrical outage. As we left the Huntsville Airport, an employee said, "Enjoy the electricity in Washington." And did we ever.
The local organization provided wheelchairs, so Mom was in one whenever we weren't riding or sitting otherwise. The pat down and search at Huntsville was pretty thorough but everyone was very well behaved.
Once the flight was underway, the pilot announced that the Honor Flight was on board, and everyone broke out into applause. I was very surprised, one of the many of the day. The Air Tran plane was full. I think people were leaving because the electricity was down.
When we landed at the Baltimore/Washington DC airport, there were 20 or so military in uniform applauding and thanking all the WWII veterans. Tears were falling off my nose. I couldn't dab them cause I was pushing the wheelchair up the ramp.
All the way through the airport, people would stop, grab my mom's hand and thank her for her service. It was most touching and even now, I am tearing up.
Leaving BWI
This is the first installment of the day's events. After all it was nearly 20 hours. I've got a lot to tell you.
Love all,
Carrie
