By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Kansas Honor Flight is an all-volunteer organization designed to honor Kansas veterans with an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. Gabe Parham, a volunteer with Kansas Honor Flights, said the program is in danger of losing space on planes because not enough veterans are utilizing the program.
"It's an organization that is fully funded by donations," he said. "It is in existence to send veterans of Vietnam, Korean, and World War II to see their memorials in D.C. We're fortunate enough to have a lot of really good donors, but right now we have, I think, enough to fill two more flights then we're running out of people on list."
A pair of Great Bend men recently took advantage of the trip. Rick Garrett served in the Navy from 1970-74 during the Vietnam War. An electronic engineer, Garrett worked on reconnaissance and communications equipment on RA-5C Vigilante aircraft, largely from a base in Albany, Ga. He also spent limited time aboard the aircraft carriers USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga. He thought he did not qualify for Kansas Honor Flights because he did not see actual combat. However, the program is for all Kansas veterans who served during those wars and were honorably discharged.
Rick's son, Logan, went along with his father as an Honor Flight Guardian. All expenses are paid for veterans, but guardians pay a reduced fee to accompany the veterans and assist with any needs they may have. Logan said watching more than 100 veterans experience their memorials was an unforgettable experience.
"Here are these men and women who are in wheelchairs," he said. "If 'Taps' was playing, or if the 'Star-Spangled Banner' came up, or if it was the Pledge of Allegiance, these guys found a way to stand up. They were told they could stay in their seats, but even the 104-year-old WWII vet who was there found way to get up out of his chair and put his hand over his heart or salute. That was pretty cool to watch."
Kansas Honor Flights include two full days of sightseeing in Washington with stops at the memorials for each of the wars and service branches.
"There are a whole bunch of different things on there," Parham said. "Some of it is even kept secret on purpose so there are some surprises for them on the trip."
The men and women who served in WWII are now 90 years of age or older, and many have medical conditions. Parham said those veterans are still encouraged to participate.
"There is trained medical staff on every flight, every bus," he said. "If there is something medically prescribed, they'll need to bring it, but there's someone there to help with just about anything."
Kansas Honor Flights typically has two flights in the spring and two in the fall. Approximately 150 people were on the recent flight with the Garretts, including 120 veterans.
"That was a really neat experience for me just to watch the guys interact together," Logan said. "None of the guys really knew each other but it was almost like a re-found brotherhood. They just all reconnected."
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