Nov. 1 is the last chance for people in the Baton Rouge area to come out and welcome the vets and thank them, as people all over the country have done.
The late Stephen E. Ambrose, historian and biographer, once explained why these aged men so richly deserve our thanks after all these years:
“In 1945, the sight of a group of teenage German, or Japanese, or Red Army troops, in uniform, armed, brought terror to civilians in France, Belgium, Holland, Korea, the Philippines, China, Germany, Poland, elsewhere. Those squads of teenage soldiers meant, for certain, rape, pillage, looting, wanton murder, senseless destruction.
“There was an exception. A squad of teenage American soldiers meant candy, C-rations, cigarettes, freedom. It was true in France, Belgium, Italy, the Philippines, China, even Germany and, after August 1945, Japan.”
The American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, Ambrose wrote. As well as for their bravery and their sacrifice, they should certainly be remembered for their decency.
Honor Air is a program where WWII vets are flown free on chartered planes Washington DC for the day, there to tour the World War II Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Marine Corps War (Iwo Jima) Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Yet for many the more moving part of the trip is returning to an airport full of smiling men, woman and children waving American flags, cheering and clapping. This is not a generation that asked for much, certainly not accolades. But that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate it.
To date, Louisiana has flown more flights than any other state involved in Honor Air. There were nine flights out of Lafayette, starting in the fall of 2007, and this Saturday’s will be the fourth from Baton Rouge.
The $70,000 cost of each flight has been deeply discounted by the carrier US Airways and paid by donations and fund-raisers.
Right now, Louisiana Honor Air is soliciting only those miles and cheers that mean so much to the veterans. The organizers urge anyone who is able to gather at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, for the welcome home ceremonies. Bring an American flags to wave if you have one and be ready to cheer and clap for these brave and decent members of the Greatest Generation.
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