For WWII Vets, a 1st-Class Gesture

By Martha Quillin, 'Raleigh News-Observer'

World War II veteran J.C. Williams took part in the recent Triad Flights of Honor trip, which flew 102 veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the national memorial to their service. "This is long overdue," said Mitzi Ellis, co-head of the initiative, which flew out of Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport. "Our veterans of that generation never really asked for anything or expected anything," she said. The Honor Flight has flown more than 100 times from airports across the country, and more than a dozen have flown out of North Caroline airports, where they are organized by Rotary Clubs. The flights land at Reagan National Airport and are met with a water-gun salute that creates an arch over the plane, which is an homage to the way foreign soil is washed off planes returning from war. The veterans are met with bunting and patriotic music played live by the Washington Symphony Orchestra. "It’s a pretty powerful day," Ellis says.

November 12, 2009