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 There
is a waiting list to get on one of these flights, and veterans who
are sick get top priority. According to the Honor Flight Network
(https://www.honorf
light.org/), over 300,000 veterans have been honored since the
organization was founded in 2005, with almost 22,250 of them being
conducted in 2023. There are also over 44,000 veterans currently
waiting to take a flight.
Three Lincoln veterans were able to go on one of these flights
recently. Dick Snyder, Richard Lane, and Gene Hickey all went on
August 27th. All three are Marine Corps veterans. Hickey sat down
with Lincoln Daily News for an interview on his experience. Hickey
shared that he applied to go on an Honor Flight several years ago,
before 2020. Covid set things back a while, and he was put down the
list a few times. As stated previously, veterans who are sick get
priority for the Honor Flights. Eventually, though, Hickey was able
to get a flight.
Each veteran is required to bring along an
able-bodied companion. Hickey chose his daughter Melissa.
Hickey shared they left from the Springfield airport at 4:30 a.m.
that morning, and when they arrived in D.C., fire trucks were
spraying water over their plane. Once off the plane, the men were
immediately taken to see many different memorials and sights. These
included the World War II memorial, the Korean and Vietnam War
memorials, the air force memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
Audie Murphy’s grave, the museum of space and aeronautics, and the
Enola Gay.
Hickey went into further detail on some of the sights that he went
to. He shared that the Air Force Memorial is three tall spires. It
is also right next to the Pentagon. Where this memorial was built is
directly under the path where, on 9/11, the plane was flown into the
Pentagon.
While at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the men got
to witness the changing of the guard. Hickey described the event as
“very moving.” Hickey shared a video he took of the changing of the
guard and explained what was happening. As the soldier turns to be
dismissed, he takes 21 steps, which takes 21 seconds to complete.
The number 21 here symbolizes the highest honor the military can
bestow upon a soldier, the 21-gun salute. The soldier’s walk was
incredibly smooth, and each step seemed very intentional and
well-practiced. Even though there is often a crowd at the changing
to the guard, the soldier is never recognized. Hickey also shared
that this event is quite long, but very quiet. If someone happens to
be making noise, Hickey shared that a guard will come over to “put
you in your place.” The men were flown back
to Springfield that day. Hickey shared that they arrived back in
Springfield around 11:30 p.m. that same evening. They were fed on
the plane, but did have to wait a couple of hours at the airport for
the return flight.
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Upon their return, Hickey shared that there were
probably somewhere between 500-750 people waiting for the men at the
airport to welcome them home. Wayne Sheeley, of Lincoln, was also
there to greet the men. Hickey shared that this 100-year-old veteran
has never missed welcoming veterans home from an Honor Flight. The
day was very busy, according to Hickey, but he described it as “a
good, long day.”
Hickey then shared some information about his service. He served
from 1970-1976 in the United States Marine Corps. He still serves
today, getting veterans, their wives, and their children wheelchair
ramps and medical equipment through detachment #1336 of the local
Marine Corps League. Hickey served as a diesel mechanic at Camp
Pendleton in California. According to Hickey, he would “repair all
of the vehicles that were coming back and getting them ready to go
to Vietnam.”
Hickey went through boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina. He
shared that he was supposed to do his boot camp at Camp Pendleton
but was not allowed. The military saw that Hickey was born in San
Diego and assumed that he knew too many people at Camp Pendleton.
So, Hickey’s friend ended up going to Camp Pendleton, while Hickey
went to the other end of the country.
Hickey also shared a story of a fire that occurred at
Camp Pendleton while he was serving. It was one of the last things
that happened while Hickey was serving there. Hickey was operating a
tanker, spraying water on a dozer, but the dozer operator passed
out. Hickey was then asked to operate the dozer and did so for
twelve hours straight. They all had gas masks on to keep them from
inhaling too much smoke. It took three days for the fire to be
completely put out. Hickey was court-martialed for not keeping his
tanker in good shape. The matter ended up being dropped after they
realized he was ordered to take charge of the dozer instead.
Toward the end of the interview, Hickey talked about what getting to
go on this Honor Flight meant to him. Hickey’s demeanor changed
while discussing this, going from excited to somber and sad. Hickey
started by sharing that he lost several friends in Vietnam.
He got to get the etchings of their names from the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, putting a piece of paper over the names
and running a pencil over them. Hickey shared that, when he was in
the military, “everyone coming back from Vietnam was cussed at, spit
at, thrown acid at. We were called ‘baby killers’... We didn’t want
to go, but we were told to go, and we went.” It was very evident by
the way Hickey discussed this that the Honor Flight and being
recognized in a very positive light for his service meant a great
deal to him.
If you know a veteran, make sure to thank them for their service
this Veteran’s Day. A simple ‘thank you’ may carry more weight and
significance than you realize. If you are a veteran, we here at
Lincoln Daily News thank you for your service and sacrifice.
[Matt Boutcher]
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