The Ohio State University at Mansfield and the We Honor Veterans Initiative at OhioHealth MedCentral hosted a special showing May 20 of the movie “Honor Flight: One Last Mission.” Nearly 100 people attended the event, including several World War II veterans. A color guard presentation by the 179th Airlift Wing, community partner information, and a recognition of the community’s veterans were included in the event.
“Honor Flight” is a heartwarming documentary about four living World War II veterans and a Midwest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime. Volunteers race against the clock to fly thousands of World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial constructed for them in 2005, nearly 60 years after their epic struggle.
The trips are called “honor flights” and for the veterans, who are in their late 80s and early 90s, it’s often the first time they’ve been thanked and the last trip of their lives. The 24-hour journey is full of surprises that deeply move all who are involved. It’s uncommon for World War II veterans to talk about the War, but the honor flight experience brings their stories out. Many veterans say, with the exception of their wedding day and the birth of their children, the trip is the best day of their life.