A cadet with Sgt. Reed helps serve breakfast The sun had not yet risen on the morning of June 1st, but Reveille had already sounded for a select few, who were busy preparing for the first event in the day’s busy agenda. In the cafeteria of Williamstown High School, teacher and cadet volunteers prepared breakfast in anticipation of the arrival of local veterans, who would be attending this year’s trip to Washington D.C. with the Honor Flight of South Jersey program, which allows them to see the monuments erected in their honor free of charge.
The band performs for the Veterans At 0500, the first veterans began to arrive and big American style breakfast was served to them with the assistance of our cadets, after which the veterans were honored by standing to be recognized when the song of their branch was sung during the opening ceremony. And when it came time to honor the Marines, the most memorable voice of a Marine Corps Veteran bellowed out “the Marine Hymn” with a passion that made his love of the Corps clear to everyone. Just as breakfast neared its conclusion, a surprise marched in the room in the form of a local string band that gave an outstanding performance.
An officer salutes the veterans as the bus drives by When the last of the buses were boarded, the police, along with the riders of Last Patrol, a local group of veteran bikers, with the POW-MIA and American flags waving behind their bikes, gave the buses an escorted the all the way to Washington. As we drove through the town, the police officers stationed on the street corners saluted the buses as they passed by: an honor that touched many hearts.
The members of Last Patrol pose for a picture
Honor Guard standing at attention Once in D.C., the buses arrived at our first stop the WWII Memorial, where our Color Guard, dressed in Full Service, posted the Colors in front of the New Jersey wreath of the monument. You could see the sweat drip down their faces in the ninety degree heat, but nothing could faze our disciplined cadets as they stood at attention for all to see. Meanwhile, our ununiformed cadets helped unload the wheelchairs from the buses, and then escort the Veterans around the Memorial along with each Veteran’s assigned guardian.
Presenting the Colors in front of the New Jersey Wreath
Cadets search for names at the Vietnam Memorial After a lunch provided by Arby’s, we visited the Lincoln, Vietnam, and Korean Memorials; and ended out trip driving by Arlington and around the optical illusion that is the Iwo Jima Memorial. Back at Williamstown High School, our cadets helped once more by serving a big dinner and dessert to the veterans before sending them on their way home. Though it was scorching, the experience of Honor Flight cannot be compared to anything else. When a veteran exclaimed that “he had been thanked for serving more times in this one day than he ever was when he got home,” it brings a certain warmth to your heart that you have to experience to understand. There is no greater feeling than bringing a smile to someone else’s face, especially a Veteran’s. And when the last veteran had walked out those doors, it was a perfect ending to a beautiful and humbling day.
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