The following is a guest post from Shannon Daehn Lang who accompanied her dad to Washington, D.C. on an Honor Flight. She also provided the photos.
Daehn saw many of our nation's monuments while in Washington.
MY TRIP TO D.C. WITH DAD
Our day was to begin at 5 am at the airport, so thank goodness I made
reservations at a nearby motel the night before. Dad was so excited
that he didn’t sleep much and was ready to go early.
Once at the airport, we registered, received our T-shirts and name
tags, found our other veterans in our group, and chatted a moment with
people from the U.S.O. Then it was off to the gates and security.
Once through, we were handed breakfast as we boarded the plane.
As the flight leaves the gate ,we see American flags following the
plane to our runway on luggage trucks. The captain announces the
veterans and a few current servicemen during the flight who receive a
round of applause from the other passengers.
When the plane landed at Reagan National, there were fire trucks shooting an arch of water over
the plane as soon as we touched down. As the veterans came out of the
jet way there was local U.S.O. members from the Washington D.C. area
there to greet them along with a brass quartet.
Then we boarded our bus for the day and headed to the WWII Memorial.
There was an Air Force pilot who had heard of our trip who was nice
and volunteered to be our local tour guide for the day. He pointed
out different landmarks as we traveled from one destination to another
and assisted us throughout the day. As soon as we arrived at the
Memorial, a group photo was taken, then we were allowed to split off
into our small groups and enjoy the Memorial as we wished. It is a
wonderful, beautiful, and well planned monument.
The tour then took us around to the Korean Memorial and the Marine
Memorial on the way to Arlington National Cemetery. When we arrived
at the Cemetery we were taken by a tour tram to the Tomb of the
Unknown for the changing of the Guard. Along the way a tour guide
provided a remarkable history of the grounds and pointed out specific
burial sites. The one item the guide mentioned that I will never
forget was that there is an average of 25-31 funerals performed there
each day.
Daehn's contribution to his country during WW II earned him his seat on the Honor Flight.
The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb is an intense inspection of the
Guard and his weapon; prior to the precise switch of duty which
guarantees that not one single step is missed. These men are amazing
in the pride that they take to make sure that these souls are never
alone or disturbed. As we left Arlington we were given a police
escort back to the airport.
On the trip home the veterans are surprised with some wonderful gifts.
The welcome that they received as we arrived back at St. Louis was
also remarkable.
All I can say is that I have some wonderful memories
to cherish and share of the amazing man my father is. For someone to
be drafted and forced to protect our nation from the possibility of
losing the freedoms that our ancestors left other countries in hopes
of a better and more equal life for their children so long ago; to
get to finally see a tribute in our nation’s capital for their efforts
was absolutely wonderful. I can honestly say that my Dad had a smile
on his face from sun up to sun down, and I cannot ever say I have seen
him happier.
The trip was also good for me as I feel that I was able to give a
little back to these men and women who fought, worked, and suffered to
keep America free. I have decided to continue assisting the Honor
Flight and hope to take other veterans on the trip next year. If you
know of any WWII veteran still able to travel they need to take this
trip.
Respectfully
Shannon Daehn Lang
Proud daughter of a Veteran
For the events leading up to Daehn’s Honor Flight read the post “Cuba, MO vet takes honor flight to WW II Memorial…”
Daehn and other veterans pose during their thrilling experience.
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