Photo by NDAREC/Kennedy DeLap
Vietnam War veteran David “Dave” Logosz of Dickinson (read his story here) was one of 227 veterans from North Dakota who traveled to Washington, D.C., in September on the all-expenses-paid Western ND Honor Flight.
“It was quite an honor to go on the Honor Flight, and I would recommend it to every veteran to go, if possible,” he says. “It was very uplifting.”
The Honor Flight originated in 2004 at a Veterans Affair clinic in Ohio, where a physician assistant, retired U.S. Air Force captain and private pilot named Earl Morse conceived a way to get his World War II patients to Washington, D.C., to visit their newly constructed memorial.
Today, 130 Honor Flight programs in 45 states transport America’s veterans to the nation’s capital to visit and reflect at the memorials created in their honor, including the Western ND Honor Flight, which was established in 2019.
In September, veterans who served in the Korean War, Vietnam War, Berlin Crisis and Western Germany embarked on trips No. 7 and No. 8 with the Western ND Honor Flight.
There were moving and emotional moments for many of the veterans, particularly at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, as the vast majority of veterans on the trips served during the Vietnam War era. The veterans were also greeted by a warm welcoming committee in Washington and a cheering crowd of family, friends and community members upon their return to Bismarck.
“(The ‘welcome home’) was the most amazing thing. … Kids wanted to shake my hand and hug me,” says Vietnam War veteran Dennis “Denny” McKechnie (read his story here). “I was just totally shocked. It’s great to see people actually care.”
The veterans’ expenses are completely paid by the program, thanks to the tireless dedication of the Western ND Honor Flight board of directors and volunteers, as well as financial support from generous sponsors.
“The one thing about this Honor Flight, I couldn't believe how well organized it was with all the volunteers they had. Volunteers, medical volunteers, everybody worked to make it a success, and it ran very smoothly,” Logosz says.
The Western ND Honor Flight board also coordinates photographers and media representatives to accompany the veterans on trips, to document the trip and hear veterans’ stories.
North Dakota Living Editor Cally Peterson was a media representative on trip No. 7 (read her trip reflection here), and North Dakota Living’s Kennedy DeLap and John Kary photographed trips No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. All of them were moved by the experience.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the heaviness of standing at the memorials with the veterans, who looked for names of men whose faces they knew, dreams they knew, laughs they knew. Veterans who had lived it, seen it, survived it,” DeLap says. “The Honor Flight gives veterans a chance to see their memorials, to talk to those who can relate to them, to heal and reminisce, and to be celebrated for the service they have given this country. I had tears bubbling in my eyes as I clicked and captured every moment I could.”
“Many of these men and women didn’t think they deserved special recognition, because they felt their individual contributions hadn’t made much difference. But as I quickly learned, every person’s service, every duty performed, played an essential part in representing and defending our great nation,” Kary says.
North Dakota Living is proud to present its first cover-to-cover veterans issue this month. You’ll find photos from the Honor Flight and stories of veterans and their families. You’ll see the emotion on veterans’ faces – and may it remind you freedom is not free.
