One Last Mission with Honor Flight NV

On September 27th, we were proud to host a fundraiser for Honor Flight NV, a nonprofit that transports local veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the war memorials dedicated in their honor.  In the 6-year period since Honor Flight NV’s inception, the organization has funded trips for nearly 1,000 World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans.  We spent the evening listening to the empowering life stories of four of the veterans who had the opportunity to explore D.C. thanks to this tremendous organization.

The first speaker of the evening was WWII vet Sheldon Beigel.  Sheldon was a crew member in a B-17 Bomber who flew 32 combat missions during his time serving this country.  Sheldon was also one of a select group of American veterans knighted by France and awarded the French Legion of Honor for his service.  “Until recently, I didn’t say very much about the things I saw during WWII, or the things I did, because I didn’t think it was very accepted and understood…War is terrible,” he explained.

The second WWII veteran – and only female speaker of the evening – was Carole Owens.  Carole joined the Navy in 1944 as a nurse caring for neuropsychiatric patients.  She shared the story of how losing her first husband at 19 years old sparked her desire to play a part in the battle.  During Carole’s recent Honor Flight to D.C., she was able to participate in the changing of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.  “All four of us had tears running down [our faces].  It was the most awesome thing I could imagine being involved in.”

At the tender age of 17, our third speaker Mac McDonald joined the Korean war efforts.  He served in the U.S. Navy aboard a recommissioned WWII destroyer from 1951 – 1954.  Of his Honor Flight trip, Mac reminisced, “I didn’t know an 84-year old man could cry so much.”  He plans to return to D.C. with Honor Flight NV as a “Guardian” the next time around, escorting another deserved veteran on the same trip he enjoyed.

The fourth and final veteran had the audience slipping between laughs and tears.  Russel Brown quit high school at 17 years old to fulfill a life-long dream of joining the Air Corps, where he flew a B-51 aircraft.  A passionate and energetic soldier, Brown remained in the Reserves for many years after his service.  He even joked, “When 9/11 hit, they wouldn’t take me!”  The Honor Flight trip was uniquely dear to Russel’s heart.  “My dad was killed in 1930.  He was an ATF officer, and his name is on the police officer memorial in Washington.”  Not only did he visit his own memorial, Russel was able to see his father memorialized as well.  “The tears that were shed would flood this room… I can’t thank this organization enough.”

To get a closer look at the work that Honor Flight NV does and the tremendous impact that their efforts have on the veterans, their families, and the community, visit HonorFlightNV.org.

The ONLY way this amazing organization is able to fly veterans to their own memorials is through donations from people like you.  Veterans of a more advanced age are running out of time to make this life-changing journey.  The youngest living WWII vet is 89 years old!  You can support Honor Flight NV by:

• Making a donation with the PayPal button below
• Sponsoring a veteran for an entire flight
• Volunteering to escort a veteran as their “Guardian” on the Honor Flight trip

Please contact Jon Yuspa if you are interested in sponsoring a veteran’s flight or becoming a Guardian.

HONOR FLIGHT NEVADA, INC.
P.O. Box 21123
Reno, Nevada 89515
Phone: 775.323.9955
Email: Jon@HonorFlightNV.org

To make a donation to Honor Flight NV, click the PayPal button below.

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