It’s been eight years since we moved to Oregon, but we still enjoy reading about events in the Crier even though we don’t know most of the people mentioned.
I’m sending this photo of our trip [recently] with the Honor Flight of South Willamette Valley to Washington, D.C. There are Honor Flights in many states that send veterans to the capital to see the memorials. Each veteran has a guardian assigned to them to help with everything. We had four World War II veterans, 10 from Korea and many from Vietnam. There were 48 veterans in total, plus guardians and others to help with wheelchairs.
Terry was a Korean veteran serving from 1950 to 1952 and the experience in Washington was wonderful. When we arrived in D.C. at the airport, there were hundreds of people applauding and cheering as the vets exited the plane. It was even more exciting when we returned to Portland Sunday evening. There was a bagpipe playing, balloons and many people on hand to welcome us back.
This photo was taken at the Korean Memorial and you can see the statues of soldiers in the background. We also visited memorials for World War II, Vietnam, Women in the Service, Air Force, Marine and Navy, and witnessed the changing of the guard at Arlington and had a wreath from our area placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It was a fast, only one-and-a-half days but packed full. With the help of a park police escort, we were able to get places without traffic. All the vets appreciated the trip and the recognition.
Barbara and Terry Richmond
Springfield, Oregon
