Honor Flight San Diego to fly 90 veterans to Washington, D.C. for April Tour of Honor

Our objective is to thank these veterans, and to give them the welcome home they’ve earned,” says Saundra Cima, a board member of Honor Flight San Diego, which later this month will be flying nearly 90 World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor.

Founded in 2010, Honor Flight San Diego and its all-volunteer corps have escorted more than 2,000 veterans to Washington, all expenses paid, fêting them on their Tour of Honor with dinners and other events in the nation’s capital.

The number of living World War II veterans is quickly dwindling, but there will be three on this month’s trip from San Diego, including Russ Loftman, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe and turns 97 this month.

Prioritizing older veterans and those who are ill is paramount. “We make them feel like royalty,” says Cima, who got involved after attending the return of an Honor Flight to San Diego in 2015.

The youngest World War II veterans are nearing 100, and most Korean War veterans are nearing 90. But our Vietnam War veterans are now in their eighties, and three years ago the program opened to them as well.

Among those who will be making the trip are Brigadier General Mike Neil, a Vietnam veteran who grew up in a Marine family, largely in San Diego. Neil earned two Purple Hearts and a Navy Cross for his actions in combat.

Also making the trip is Neil Black of Carlsbad, an Air Force veteran who was shot down and held as a POW in Vietnam for 2,703 days from 1965 to 1973.

“Many veterans avoid talking about their experiences, especially Vietnam veterans,” says Cima, emphasizing the fact that not only did Vietnam veterans not receive a welcome home, they were even denounced as war criminals.

“We were advised not to wear our uniforms when traveling in the United States,” says Larry Brooks, another Vietnam veteran who will be honored on this year’s tour.

When asked if there was any difference in the way officers and enlisted personnel were treated on their return, both Brooks and Dwight Wait, another Vietnam veteran who will be on the trip, shook their heads and answered together: “If you were wearing a uniform, it didn’t matter.”

Brooks, who is president of the Del Mar Historical Society, initially volunteered to be a “battle buddy,” what Honor Flight calls the individuals who escort the veterans, some of whom require walkers or wheelchairs. But at 85, he was told he was too old. He could only go as a veteran hero, and he will be escorted on the trip by one of his grandchildren. Wait will be accompanied by his son.

Cima will be leading one of four groups of veterans and battle buddies who will be visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, among other sites.

Most significant though, are the dinners when the veterans get to mingle and invariably find people they met or knew, or nearly crossed paths with during the course of their service.

“When they’re with their brothers, they open up quite a bit,” says Cima. “That’s one of my favorite parts. It starts an avenue of discussion so that when they go home they continue to talk about it.”

And just as important as the three days in Washington is the hero’s welcome they receive upon their arrival back home.

“We have a huge ceremony when they return. Especially when it comes to our Vietnam veterans, we want to make up for the welcome they didn’t receive,” says Cima, highlighting the fact that there will be between 1,000 and 1,500 people at the airport to greet the veterans on their return.

Cima has spoken with several veterans who have said the experience has helped them heal, and she and the rest of the organization’s volunteers hope that happens on this tour as well. At the very least, they want our veterans to know they are revered.

It costs $3,100 to sponsor a veteran and $950 to take part as a battle buddy, many of whom are family members or friends. “But there are volunteers as well,” says Cima, “people eager to be that fly on the wall and hear all the stories.”

Honor Flight San Diego is part of the Honor Flight Network, which has more than 150 chapters across the nation, and has flown more than 300,000 veterans to Washington, D.C., since its inception.

This month’s Tour of Honor departs Friday, April 25, and returns Sunday, April 27. They will be arriving at Terminal 2 baggage claim around 1pm, and everyone is invited to welcome our heroes home. honorflightsandiego.org