Honor Flight proves to be the flight of a lifetime

With every step and every stop, they were greeted as heroes.

Tourists, businessmen, even flight attendants saw a sea of red, made up of World War II and Korean War veterans, and felt the need to say, “thank you.”

“I feel like a politician, my right hand is so numb now,” said Johnny Inman. He was part of the 8th Honor Flight of Southern Colorado in late April.

The Honor Flight of Southern Colorado organization flew 25 veterans to Washington, D.C., for a three-day tour of monuments and memorials.

“I’m very appreciative that it’s here. We won that war. It was pretty bleak for awhile. This is overwhelming,” Inman said.

He was a fighter pilot with the Flying Tigers in 1944 and 1945. Even though decades have passed since his service, memories of his time in uniform feel as recent as yesterday.

“Friends of mine aren’t here anymore. Lost a lot of friends during the war,” Inman said. “People in those days had a lot of pride in their country.”

That pride was so strong, women like Helen Leahy joined the fight in the 1940s.

“At the time, there was a lot of, uh, concern, about women being in the service,” Leahy said. She joined the Naval Reserve and worked in the Judge Advocate General’s Office. “It was the honorable thing to do.”

From friends to family, she, too lost many friends and family members during the war. Their names crept back into her memory as she looked through the World War II Memorial.

“A couple of them were shot down, never found. It was the pressure of war.
All of those names are coming up,” she said.

The Honor Flight of Southern Colorado transports veterans free of charge. Guardians go with them to make sure they are safe.

Their primary goal is to get World War II veterans to D.C. for now, as the generation is passing away over time.

Despite their age, they braved the pouring rain to salute their country and their brethren at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.

“Whoever foots the bill for this trip, I want to thank them,” Inman said.

A trip crafted to honor veterans for all they do.

For more information on the Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, click here.