Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1510185
50 maconmagazine.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 Master Sergeant George Parker and his highly decorated wife, Technical Sergeant Raisa Parker, both of whom also served in Lebanon, Panama, and Grenada. Also aboard was author J.C. Hilliard who penned a 2014 book, Tour of Duty: 13 Months in Vietnam, in memory of five "brothers" with whom he served in the Marines. J.C. was present when each man was killed, and he brought an inscribed copy of his book to leave at the Vietnam Memorial in their honor and memory. Bill Carey, who has performed the song "Taps" at more than 200 events, including military funerals at Andersonville National Cemetery, brought his trumpet to play the emotionally charged tune at the Vietnam Memorial. Takeoff from Macon May 20, 2023 was a long day with an ambitious schedule and was, coincidentally, Armed Forces Day. We gathered at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport for our Contour Airlines charter flight #3107 at 6:30 a.m. to Baltimore's Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Patriotism loomed large from the get-go. Upon arrival we were met by a team of local MGHF volunteers who distributed Operation Gratitude bags filled with snacks and sunscreen. MGHF chaplain, Joseph Moore, a guardian for the day and local pastor, led us in prayer, and we took group photos under the terminal's huge American flag. Pre-dawn, we cleared TSA (quick, easy, and pleasant in Macon!) before boarding a sleek 30-passenger jet for the 1.5-hour flight to Baltimore. 69-plus counties with a veteran population of more than 128,000 and conducts six Honor Flights annually, on three Saturdays in the spring and fall. Bob Long served in the Air Force and continues to work in foreign military sales. For Long, providing these trips is an extension of the military credo "no man le behind." Long said, "Our veterans made so many sacrifices for our country, and we know that freedom isn't free. This work with veterans is addictive." Mission 15 Two weeks before our trip, MGHF conducted training in Warner Robins. Veterans checked in, and if not traveling with a family member or friend, met their assigned travel companion, called a guardian. Bob Long went over logistics, and guardians received instructions on how to support their veteran, including the directive to "stay within an elbow's length at all times." Logo-emblazoned t-shirts were distributed (blue for veterans, yellow for guardians) so they would be instantly recognizable to each other while touring. Each mission is unique, and ours was noteworthy on several fronts. Young by Honor Flight standards, all 16 participants were Vietnam veterans, including Ben Everly, who also served in Korea. Our veterans represented four service branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and ranged in age from 72 to 89. Two veterans had served in two military branches, Robert Byrd in the Army and Air Force, and Ron McCooley in the Navy and Air Force. For the second time aboard a MGHF, there was a couple, Chief Now more than 275,000 veterans have traveled to Washington – for what many call one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives – through more than 135 programs in 45 states and Puerto Rico.