As I stand behind the counter at Pie’s On handing out slices of pizza, my mind drifts back to my day with Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area. I can only find one word: amazing. As a Veteran myself, I understood the meaning and purpose of this event — an April 18 flight from Wilmington to Washington, D.C., carrying 82 Veterans and their guardians.
When I returned home from active duty after five years in the Air Force, including deployments to Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, I felt welcomed back. That wasn’t always the case for earlier generations. When Cold War–era Veteran James “Jim” Gray of Landfall came home from his service, there was no welcome home. Many Veterans of his era were met with silence, indifference, or worse.
On this day, I had the honor of serving as Jim’s guardian. My role was simple yet profound — to walk beside him through the Washington, D.C., memorials, listen to his stories (the good and the hard), and, at the day’s end, make sure he received the proper welcome home he never had.
I first learned about Honor Flight from a customer, Ruth Smith, the chapter’s president. Over time, we built a relationship around a shared desire to engage the local military community and create a network of support for Veteran-owned businesses.
This mission marked the fifth flight for the Cape Fear Area chapter. The all-volunteer organization honors World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War Veterans with all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., pairing each Veteran with a guardian for a day of respect and remembrance among the city’s monuments. The national Honor Flight Network was founded in 2005 when retired Air Force Captain Earl Morse and pilot Jeff Miller flew a small group of WWII Veterans to see their memorial. Since that first trip, Honor Flight has carried more than 250,000 Veterans to the nation’s capital.
I picked Jim up in Landfall the morning of our flight. We were both a little anxious, but the pre-flight meet-and-greet hosted by Honor Flight at the Wilmington Convention Center put us at ease. Throughout the day, we visited many of the city’s memorials, including the Lincoln Memorial.
On the flight home came Mail Call. Each Veteran was called by name and handed letters of heartfelt gratitude written by family, friends, and even strangers.
As the plane pulled into ILM, we could see hundreds of people cheering and waving signs. We walked off the ramp surrounded by their love, with bagpipers playing the song of each military branch. The experience of coming home was unbelievable for Jim, and for me it was just as powerful.
The feeling of camaraderie and community support was overwhelming. In that moment, every Veteran on the flight knew they were seen, appreciated, and most of all — welcomed home.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. Every year if I can.
To learn more about Honor Flight of the Cape Fear Area, visit honorflightcfa.org/veterans-1.
