Veterans Soared On Honor Flight

 To Nation’s Capitol

By Nancy K. Crevier

One hundred veterans of World War II spread their wings and flew out of Bradley Airport early Saturday morning, September 15, aboard a chartered jet headed for Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The veterans were part of the Honor Flight program, a national nonprofit organization formed in 2005 that flies armed forces veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at memorials dedicated to the wars in which they fought.

The September 15 event was organized by Christopher Coutu of American Warriors, a patriotic charitable organization that operates out of Norwich. American Warriors was founded to support veterans, members of the military and their families, and America. The cost of the tour, including the chartered jet, was approximately $38,000, all of which was raised through donations so that there would be no cost at all to any of the 100 veterans taking part.

Upon arrival at Reagan National Airport, the veterans boarded motor coaches, which took them to visit the National World War II Memorial, as well as the Marine/Iwo Jima Memorial before once again taking to the skies, touching down at Bradley International Airport Saturday evening. Lt Governor Michael Fedele accompanied the veterans on the special trip and served as one of 35 volunteers who accompanied the veterans as guardians, assisting them as needed throughout the day.

“It was an incredible, moving experience,” said Lt Gov Fedele on Monday. “It was really exciting to see these men and women who served in World War II and to listen to their stories. It was a very special day for us, as guardians, as it was for the veterans who did attend. You could see it in their eyes.”

The lieutenant governor looks forward to accompanying veterans on future Honor Flights, he said. “I would absolutely go again.”

One of the veterans on the Honor Flight out of Hartford was Newtown resident Roxie Define, who served as a sergeant under General Omar N. Bradley in WWII from 1941 to 1945. He was accompanied to Washington by his daughter, Sandy Margoles of Milford, and her husband, George, who served as guardians for four other veterans and Ms Margoles’ father.

Mr Define served in England, France, Belgium, and Germany during the war, and was part of the American forces that liberated the prisoners at Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar, Germany. Wounded in action more than once, he was patched up and sent back into action. He received the Purple Heart for his efforts during the war.

“It was a wonderful day,” said Mr Define, who credits his daughter with nominating him for the Honor Flight after she saw an article in the New Haven Register last spring. “The whole thing was very nice. The people who did it did a wonderful job.”

Boarding the plane at Bradley International Airport, Mr Define was impressed by the crowd of well-wishers who had gathered so early to bid them thanks and farewell. Then as the plane taxied out onto the tarmac, fire trucks lined either side of the jet, shooting an arc of water over the plane.

“That was really something,” Mr Define said. Even more impressive, though, was the welcome the veterans received at Reagan National Airport, he said. Representatives from the office of Senator Christopher Dodd and Republican Congressman Christopher Shays presented brief speeches in Washington after the veterans emerged from the jetway that had been decorated for a heroes’ welcome in red, white, and blue, with dozens of balloons bobbing about. “The fire trucks were there, just like at Bradley, when we landed, and a big greeting committee was there thanking us for what we did in the war,” said Mr Define.

The first stop of the day was at the World War II Memorial, said Mr Define, and it was quite impressive. “There is a wall of gold stars, with each star standing for 100 veterans, and beautiful fountains. Each of the 48 states was represented there. It was really nice.”

Mr Define also found the Iwo Jima Memorial an incredible commemoration to those who fought and died in that battle and found the entire bus tour of the city amazing, even though he had visited the city many times in past years. The tour included a drive past the Washington Monument, the Air Force Memorial, and the Sea Bees Memorial. “They took us to Embassy Row, which is very impressive, and the National Cathedral is amazing. DC is a beautiful city and we got to see a big part of it. You see how large our government is,” he said. The only disappointment of the day, said Mr Define, was that antiwar demonstrations prevented them from stopping at the White House.

Visiting the memorials was not as emotional an experience as Mr Define had expected, but what did move him was being with the other 99 veterans.

“Over 16 million US soldiers served in World War II, and 1,200 of the veterans pass away every day,” he said. “We lived in a different time in this world when I was in the Army. I didn’t know any of the other guys who went on this Honor Flight, but I’m 85 and a lot of the vets looked older than me, even.” Nor was the Connecticut coalition the only Honor Flight in DC that day. “There were probably another 700 vets from all over the States visiting,” Mr Define estimated.

He was humbled by the number of people who came up to him and the other veterans whenever they disembarked the buses. “They would thank us for all that we did. I didn’t think at the time I was in the Army that we were doing so much. That was very nice,” Mr Define said.

It was a very long day, said Ms Margoles, for both the veterans and the guardians, but the excitement level kept everyone energized from the time they left Bradley until they returned there in the evening to, yet again, another heroes’ welcome. “The whole trip was extraordinarily well organized,” Ms Margoles said.

Christopher Coutu was also quite pleased with the Saturday outing. “It was the first time organizing the Connecticut Honor Flight,” he said, “but the day was great.” Seeing the 100 veterans enjoying the day in Washington made him very proud, he said.

“The vets were young at heart and as the day went on, you could see a spring in their steps,” said Mr Coutu. He hopes to organize another Honor Flight as soon as American Warrior is able to raise the nearly $40,000 it costs for each flight, and as soon as 40 guardians sign up to accompany the veterans to DC. Contributions can be sent to American Warrior, PO Box 337, 35 Main Street, Versailles CT 06383. American Warrior is currently in the process of obtaining 501(c) status for donations, but all of the money contributed goes directly toward the Honor Flight, said Mr Coutu, who is a member of the National Air Guard Reserves. “There is a rush to get the World War vets to DC,” Mr Coutu said. “Connecticut has 65,000 World War II vets and each year, 9,000 of them die. So there really is a push now to get them to see the memorials.”

Laura Fanelli, the director of Public Affairs for the office of the lieutenant governor, said that more than 220 veterans applied to take part in the Honor Flight. “The 100 chosen were selected based on the urgency of their age and health,” said Ms Fanelli. “You have to remember that the average age of these veterans is between 85 and 90 years old, so there was a timeliness factor.”

Medical personnel and emergency medical technicians were with the group the entire day, said Ms Fanelli, as several of the veterans were in wheelchairs and others had special health needs. “We made every effort to see that the trip was comfortable and that they were provided for all day long,” she said.

Coordinating transportation to and from Bradley International Airport on Saturday was a group effort, according to Ms Fanelli. Mr Coutu arranged for a chartered bus from the Norwich region, as the greatest numbers of veterans were from that area. Senior vans picked up veterans from the Manchester-Columbia area, and family members and other volunteers worked together to provide rides for veterans from other regions of the state. One veteran from lower Fairfield County found himself with a state trooper as his chauffeur.

 “I think it was a tremendous trip. I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Mr Define. “I’m very lucky I got to go.”