Honored

There are days in your life that far exceed your expectations, experiences that pay dividends beyond your dreams, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When I was a kid, I loved my Scooby Doo and GI Joe, but I also was fascinated with World War II. I might have been the only 10 year old who had seen and enjoyed the very long movie D-Day. My dad was in the Army and died when I was two years old. My grandfather was in the Army and at Utah Beach in Normandy. They both were my heroes, and John Wayne reminded me of them. I don't think there is a single war movie with John Wayne in it that I haven't seen. I read Ann Frank's Diary several times and history books about WWII. It bordered on obsession really.

A few years ago, we went to Paris, and we took a day trip to Normandy to see the beaches. It was astounding. I said then that if there was a place this side of heaven more peaceful or beautiful I couldn't imagine it. We walked from the beach up to the first Nazi pill box. It was a clear day. I was not carrying a 60lb. pack or a gun. I wasn't running or being shot at. There weren't dead bodies every where. Surviving that hill in those conditions isn't something I can imagine either.

The soldiers from WWII, overseas and stateside, and the families left behind that carried on sacrificed in a way few of us can imagine. As a generation, they are so unassuming and humble. They just say they did what they had to do. They didn't ask for recognition and they didn't make a fuss that they didn't have a monument to their war. The memorial finally built in DC is an amazing tribute to them, and last year, I found out about the Honor Flight Network, which provides the opportunity for WWII veterans to come to DC to see their memorial. In early May, a group from Nashville was coming in, and I took the day off to volunteer with the Honor Flight group at Reagan National Airport.

We met 101 veterans and about 30 guardians (volunteer caretakers for the day) at the airport. We stood outside security -- I'd made a sign welcoming them -- and shook their hands and cheered. I was planning to take my own car to the monument to help out there, too, but they had an extra seat on one of the buses, so I went with them for the day.

In early October, I took another day off to help with a slightly larger flight from Knoxville. Their flight was delayed three hours, but they were still able to see the Korean War and WWII Memorials and the changing of the guard at Arlington. I got to ride on the bus again to help out.

On both days, I took my camera, thinking I could share the shots I took with everyone later. Helping them on and off the buses and giving them a few pictures seemed like a small contribution to make. I wanted to give them something to say thank you, to honor them. I had no idea what I'd be getting in return. The men I helped thanked me repeatedly for pushing their wheelchair or just hanging out. I told them again and again they were more than welcome. And I really meant it.

To hear their stories first hand and watch them throughout the day gave me new perspective on the most monumental global event in modern time and forever burned into my memory the faces of courage and sacrifice. It was my honor to make their trip easier, more comfortable, more memorable. I hope I'm able to do it many more times.