Dubuque Telegraph-Herald. May 26, 2024.
Editorial: A salute to all who make honor flights possible
Nearly 200 local military veterans got the trip of a lifetime last week in one of the coolest traditions to ever honor any and all who wore the uniform.
Once again, the Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri-States took to the air on a pair of daylong trips that brought a lifetime of memories.
Now for the third consecutive year (following an eight-year hiatus), this area joined in the national honor flight movement to give veterans an opportunity to visit the nation’s war memorials in Washington, D.C.
When the local effort began in 2010, Perry Mason and the local honor flight committee set a goal of getting every willing-and-able World War II veteran in the area to Washington. After nearly 18,000 miles and more than $750,000, the group got more than 900 veterans on flights to visit historic sites that honor their service and sacrifice. After four years, organizers were able to herald that mission as accomplished.
Then a few years ago, Mason felt the pull to bring back the honor flights. Back to organizing, to fundraising, to connecting to veterans.
This time, the veterans are mostly Vietnam era and earlier — and many of them were part of a generation that for too many years didn’t get the honor and respect they deserved for the sacrifices they made. The honor flights allow veterans an opportunity to connect with each other, share experiences and receive recognition for their service.
When our tri-state-area veterans journeyed to our nation’s capital this year, it was a trip unlike any they had ever experienced. The journey served two main purposes: 1) To recognize and show gratitude for the veterans’ service; and 2) to give the veterans a unique tour of the monuments dedicated to them and to their fallen comrades.
“I didn’t think this would be so overwhelming, on a positive note.”
”This is super nice.”
“I can’t believe it. It’s amazing.”
“It’s heartwarming.”
“It’s touching to my heart to know that (the monument) is something we’ve heard about, but now we’re actually seeing it.”
Those are just a few of the things veterans had to say about this trip of a lifetime. Veterans saw memorials dedicated to World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps, and the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Hundreds of people welcomed the veterans and their guardians home.
Mason and the many others who were instrumental in this local effort deserve our gratitude.
Veteran after veteran who made the trip to Washington found it to be an incredibly moving experience. Many of them had never seen the monuments of D.C. before, and the added touches such as handmade signs and a welcome-home crowd really treated these veterans like the heroes they are. To give these aging veterans that experience is something they will never forget and something we can all be proud of.
No doubt the experience was rewarding for the organizers as well. For all their hard work on behalf of our treasured veterans, a word of thanks.
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Daily Nonpareil. May 25, 2024.
Editorial: Respect the ultimate sacrifice
We’re asked to honor America’s war dead each Memorial Day, remembering the truth — even if it feels like a slogan — that freedom isn’t free.
You’ll hear politicians invoke the service and sacrifice made by American service members to add gravitas to their talking points. You’ll hear stories of heroism, and you’ll hear pretty much anyone who fell in combat described as a hero.
The women and men who serve in America’s armed forces deserve our sincere appreciation. Their commitment can partly be summed up in the Air Force’s core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. Those are standards not all of us can live up to, and the risks taken on by military service members are real.
When we reflect upon the legacy of service and sacrifice — especially the so-called ultimate sacrifice, dying in combat or otherwise in service to country — it’s important to keep in mind that the all-volunteer nature of the modern military is relatively new to this country. Many who gave their lives did so after being conscripted.
More than 61% of those who serve in World War II were draftees, according to the National WWII Museum. A quarter of service members in combat zones in the Vietnam War were draftees, according to the University of Michigan.
After Vietnam, the U.S. pivoted to an all-volunteer military, where service was presented as a career choice rather than something mandated like jury duty, but with guns. The Department of Defense celebrated the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer military last year.
But setting the draft aside has meant recruiting has become a larger focus for the armed forces, and it’s been a challenge — especially in a labor market in which a wider range of dependable, good-paying jobs are available, without the risk of death or the requirements to maintain physical fitness.
As the DOD itself put it: “An all-volunteer force was not cheap: It required higher pay, better living conditions, money for training and education, better health care and programs for families.”
For many, the military has become a way to improve one’s future.
Enlisting can provide access to health care, an education, an opportunity to learn a trade or develop marketable skills. Many leave the service, after putting in their time, to reap the financial benefits available to them in the government contracting and civilian job markets. The military still provides retirement and lifelong health care benefits that are increasingly hard to find elsewhere.
Yet there’s a flip side to this. While our service members deserve compensation commensurate with the value they provide the rest of us, those benefits can be coercive — encouraging volunteerism among those with less wealth.
Frankly, that’s sort of the point. Listen to Sen. Joni Ernst, herself a veteran: “Today, folks, young people are not being inspired to serve,” Ernst said. “Frankly, the perks of service are tarnished when this administration attempts to ‘cancel’ everyone’s student loans.”
As we remember our fallen heroes, let’s remember not all of them made the choice willingly.
END