WASHINGTON, D.C. – 75 Vietnam Veterans took part in an Honor Flight to our nation’s capital. They flew to Washington, D.C. to visit the monuments and memorials dedicated to veterans like them. For many, this trip brought out a lot of emotions and closure.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Sam Elder, an Air Force veteran. Elder is one of 75 Vietnam veterans in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Honor Flight.
“I applied to this three years ago and I’ve already run into some friends I haven’t seen since the early 70s, so it’s a pretty amazing trip,” said Elder.
“It’s an honor to be here,” said Army veteran Gary Sparpana. “The World War II – my mom and dad both served in World War II so it’s nice to see it for my mom and dad and I lost some friends in Vietnam.”
For Mike Labadie, a volunteer on this trip, he carried around a photo of his father, who served in the Marines. His father passed before he could make the trip.
“He was supposed to go,” said Labadie. “I was supposed to be his guardian.”
Labadie adds it brings him a lot of peace being able to bring his father with him on this trip.
Many of them were eager to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where it lists the names of more than 58-thousand Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.
“It’s going to be really hard and it will bring back a lot of bad memories and it’s going to be a relief to get it off our shoulders,” said Sparpana.
At the Memorial, it was a chance for these veterans to etch the names of those they knew. Other veterans wore bracelets with names of soldiers who didn’t make it back and searched for their names on the wall.
“He’s a Michigan veteran,” said Elder referring to the bracelet he was wearing with the soldier’s name on it. “He was shot down in Laos. He’s still missing. It’s [the bracelet] to honor him until he returns.”
And for many, this trip is a chance for closure.
“I’ll say goodbye to my buddies that I served with over there many years ago so,” said Sparpana. “It’s going to be special.”
Veterans also got a chance to meet with and speak to Congressman Jack Bergman (R- MI) on the trip. Bergman is also a Vietnam veteran himself.
