“Red Bus leads the way! White Bus is the fun bus! Blue Bus is the best bus! Gold Bus is priceless!”
I have to learn that chant by May 2. Otherwise, there’s a strong chance I’ll be singled out on a Facebook Live and bring shame upon the Gold Bus.
This much was made clear April 16 during training for Honor Flight of Southern Indiana’s 20th mission. Setting off before sunrise May 2 aboard a chartered American Airlines flight from Evansville Regional Airport, I’m filling a media set on behalf of Evansville Living, documenting the journey of 86 veterans and their guardians on a whirlwind day trip to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C.
A quick history lesson: Honor Flight was founded in 2005 after physician assistant and retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Earl Morse flew a few of his military veteran patients from Ohio to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II memorial. Since then, more than 128 regional hubs have been created in 45 states to whisk war veterans — free of charge; as a nonprofit, Honor Flight underwrites each trip via donations and sponsorships — to see military memorials in the nation’s capital. Nearly 340,000 veterans have participated since; Honor Flight of Southern Indiana took its first flight in 2014 and has flown more than 1,480 veterans on 19 more trips.
Mission EVV20 commands 190 people, with HFSI staff, veterans, guardians, volunteers, media, and security mixing together — but kept straight by color-coordinated shirts — with more volunteers, Evansville Regional Airport personnel, and parade escorts waiting at home. It’s a huge endeavor for the regional hub’s twice-annual Honor Flights, but like any military operation, planning begins early and covers every minute detail.
Those details include securing four charter buses to tour travelers through the nation’s capital city, with stops at the war memorials for WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, plus Arlington National Cemetery. A flight out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport returns the HFSI team around 7:45 p.m., in time for a boisterous, public welcome-home parade at Evansville Regional Airport. (More than 3,000 people filled the airport’s lobby to welcome home the veterans and guardians from that first flight, an experience that longtime volunteers say was a tearjerker.)
Although Evansville Living is filling a media seat, I — like each person on the flight — am required to undergo three hours of guardian training. A guardian (usually a relative or friend) accompanies the veteran everywhere at all times during the trip, ensuring their safety, helping them maneuver in a wheelchair, and monitoring their emotions and energy. A four-person medical team travels with each flight, but guardians are primarily responsible for the veterans’ care.
“It’s a working position: You’re handling emotions, logistics, health and safety, and physical assistance,” Training Officer Monica Centers says. “Guardians are an extension of this mission.” (Read about Tucker Publishing Group, Inc. President Todd Tucker’s service as a guardian for his late father-in-law, Robert Carter, on Mission EVV7 in October 2017.)
Post-training, I can safely maneuver a veteran in a wheelchair, should pack for every kind of weather, and am bumping up my weights-and-walking routine so I’m ready to conquer the approximately 12 miles we’ll be walking. Since it’s a day trip, a backpack stuffed with essentials like chargers and a change of clothes is my only luggage.
Before “wheels up” on May 2, Honor Flight of Southern Indiana is campaigning for more welcome parade escorts (60 people have signed up, with room for 40 more) and day-of snacks for travelers (available for a donated purchase via the nonprofit’s Amazon wish list.) Volunteers are a mix of working and retired folks, military personnel and civilians, but all share a strong passion for making sure that veterans know their service is appreciated. Angie Adams, chair of the Welcome Home Committee, hammered home that point as training concluded: “This is their day,” she said.
Follow along as Evansville Living joins Honor Flight EVV20 in Washington, D.C., on May 2.
