Sometimes one gets the impression that in modern America, patriotism isn’t really cool. But this past weekend, I got to see that among many Americans today, patriotism is alive and well.
I was in the Fort Lauderdale airport on Saturday night, waiting for hours for the return of a delayed flight that was a part of Honor Flights. The flight was coming in from D.C. with about 72 veterans, plus their “guardians” – their assistants to help them throughout the day.
In the terminal, there were hundreds of men, women and children of all sorts of backgrounds, waiting for the return of the heroes. It was a festive atmosphere with a DJ/MC on hand to keep our spirits up as we waited. The conga line dancing of the little children from the American Heritage Girls troop made the wait memorable.
When the Honor Flight veterans were just about to arrive, Franco Sorino, the DJ/MC said, “Our humble heroes are getting the reception they never got.”
Since 2005, Honor Flights aims to thank veterans – particularly those who have served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War – by bringing them for a one-day trip to Washington, D.C. to see the key memorials.
The organization’s website says, “Our mission is one of gratitude. For their service, sacrifice, and selflessness. Join us as we proudly celebrate America’s Veterans with a day of honor in our nation’s capital.”
Ryan Paton, the co-founder of the Florida chapter of Honor Flights, told me that all of this is at no expense to the veterans, but rather is covered by charity.
The website also states, “Transporting approximately 22,500 veterans annually, Honor Flight Network has flown over 300,000 veterans to Washington, D.C., since its inception.” Honor Flights go out from 138 cities throughout the country.
I went to the airport as a part of a group from our church in order to greet an Honor Flight passenger, Joe Radler, who often attends our church. For this piece, I asked him for a statement.
He wrote me, “I was in Vietnam in 1970 and ’71. I was 20 years old. My return home was not welcomed. While I was changing planes in St. Louis, I was cursed at and spat at. I couldn’t wait to get out of my uniform. It made me feel hated. The Honor Flight brought back a lot of memories. It was overwhelming, full of pride and love. It let me know that America truly cares for us veterans. The welcome home at the airport was over the top. I felt so much love being a veteran. Thank you for being there.”
An attendee of an earlier Honor Flight, also a Vietnam veteran, told of how he came to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (the wall) and found a few key names of buddies he had lost. He broke down and came to grip with feelings he had bottled up for more than 50 years and then became revitalized.
On Saturday, while waiting at the airport, I spoke with another Vietnam vet. Sam told me that, like other veterans from that war, he did not return to a hero’s welcome. But he thought to himself, “Well, at least I made it back home.” He was there spending his Saturday night to cheer on other veterans (total strangers to him) in their welcome home.
One of the aspects of the Honor Flight that really touched Sam and his fellow veterans was the “mail call” – a regular feature of the Honor Flights. Unbeknownst to the veterans, prior to this day, friends and loved ones of the veterans wrote letters of encouragement. These were gathered up and distributed on the flights to the individual servicepersons. Sam said, “That blew us away. There was not a single dry eye,” as they read these letters.
Freedom is not free. We enjoy religious, political and economic freedom because of the blood of those who served.
In the American experience, our founders said our rights come from God. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said last week that our rights come from the government.
But that’s not what the framers said. The Declaration of Independence states that the Creator has “endowed” us with the rights we enjoy – not the state.
Love of God and love of country (when in the right) go hand in hand. To paraphrase George Washington in his Farewell Address, you have no right to call yourself a “patriot” if you subvert two key “pillars of human happiness.” Which were? “Religion and morality.”
Those who served our country when they were called should be treated like heroes. They didn’t start the wars. They simply obeyed their country when called up to do so. It’s wonderful to see every day Americans enthusiastically honor those who have served their country, that we might be free.