Macon Magazine

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 | maconmagazine.com 51 MGHF president, Roger Jennings, served as flight commander and Bernadette Johnson as bus captain. The effervescent Johnson is Contour's Macon station manager. The proud daughter of a retired naval officer, with two servicewomen sisters, she says these flights are her way of giving back. Every mission is staffed with a nurse, in case medical attention is needed, and a media representative, my role in preparation for this story. Our flight was staffed by a crew of three: Captain Kyle Campbell, First Officer Lisa Hannon, and Robin Prince, our flight attendant, who served breakfast biscuits during the flight, courtesy of Contour. MGHF included every amenity; the attention to detail was extraordinary. Wheelchairs were provided for every veteran whether they required one or "just in case" while trekking around our nation's capital. There were lap blankets for cold; umbrellas for rain; breakfast, lunch, and dinner were included; and bottled water and snacks were always at-the-ready. Star treatment As we touched down at BWI under dense fog, we were instructed to look out the windows on both sides of the plane where our flight was welcomed with a water cannon salute courtesy of the BWI fire department. At the gate our veterans were warmly greeted by six active-duty military volunteers from Ft. Meade who completed our roster of guardians, and with whoops, handshakes, and applause from two smiling groups bedecked in stars and stripes — Clinton, Maryland Rotary Club members and the Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc., with two adorable boys hoisting homemade welcome signs. It was the first of many times that day the vets would hear the long-delayed words, "Welcome home! Thank you for your service!" As the Rotarians and sorority scurried off to greet another arriving Honor Flight, USO volunteers materialized to lead us to our bus for the hour-long ride to Washington, sporting neon Honor Flight Ground Crew T-shirts with the Will Rogers slogan, "We can't all be heroes; some of us get to stand on the curb and clap as they go by." As we departed BWI, the sorority reappeared alongside our bus, smiling, saluting, and waving flags. Arlington National Cemetery Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery for the solemn Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, where a sentinel has been on duty every minute since 1937. Our group had prime viewing for the Ceremony, and during our arrival and departure (and throughout the day), people spontaneously reached out to shake hands with our veterans. A erward, as we gathered our veterans and guardians for a photo at the steps of Arlington's amphitheater, a high school teacher leading a group of teens from Muncie, Indiana called out a surprising request. "Can our students join the veterans for a picture?" As we were set to snap the photo, the teacher called out, "Welcome home! I'm indebted to you for my freedom!" Military Women's Memorial Local MGHF organizers figured that having a female veteran on our flight warranted a visit to the Military Women's Memorial, which honors 300,000 servicewomen. There, retired Technical Sgt. USAF Raisa Parker was given a certificate for her distinguished service by the Memorial's Chief Impact Officer, Cathleen Pearl, during Raisa's profile presentation. The quiet, unassuming Parker was the first female member of the security police to join the mountain patrol at Clark Air Base, Philippines (1977-78). Called a true trailblazer, Raisa had won the Air Force Commendation Medal, AF Outstanding Unit Award, Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, AF Overseas Short, NCO and Long Tour Ribbons, AF Longevity Service Award, Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon, and AF Training Ribbon. Dazzled by her wide-ranging accomplishments, a er the presentation the Mission 15 group surrounded and warmly congratulated our star. I later learned that the visit to the Women's Memorial was so well-received that it will become a stop on future MGHF missions. U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and World War II Memorial Gloomy skies gave way to bright sunshine, and we devoured box lunches in the park surrounding the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, the iconic, bronze depiction of the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the second flag raising at Iwo Jima during WWII. A er lunch we traveled to the National Mall to see the World War II Memorial, the original impetus of the Honor Flight movement. We fanned out to view the Atlantic and Pacific arches and 56 pillars representing U.S. states and territories, each adorned with a stone wreath. Everyone enjoyed taking a photo at their home state pillar and getting a WWII National Park Service Passport LEFT Mission 15 members before departing from Macon. ABOVE Passersby approached veterans throughout the day to thank them for their service.

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