Honor Flight Report from the Eastern Front
Honor Flight Journal of Ron Chan, while escorting his father, Alfred Chan, a WWII veteran, who was selected to visit Washington DC memorials built to honor those who served.
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Honor Flight Orientation: August 21, 2016
My dad and I went to the Honor Flight1 orientation today to prepare for our journey to Washington, DC. It was an incredibly wonderful and emotional experience. Each of the 25 vets chosen for the Honor Flight introduced themselves and explained how they served.
There was much more to the casual eye, as all you saw was a group of tottering old men—one in a wheelchair, several with walkers, and some whose hands shook while holding a microphone. Virtually all were in their 90s. The eldest, at 99, spoke with honor. Army, Navy, Seabees, Marines, Air Force, and the lone woman, a WWII nurse, represented all service branches.
I sat beside a black soldier who told me about Army segregation. He worked the supply lines at the Battle of the Bugle — the Nazi counter-offensive after D-Day, which turned the tide of the war.
There was a pilot who flew 18 missions in Europe, was shot down twice, and spent six months in a German POW camp.
Far-off places of pain and pride rolled off their tongues — Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Midway, Palermo, Berlin — names you only saw in history books or watching late-night war movies became suddenly alive.
A D-Day infantryman described reaching the beachhead, even as the soldier beside him dropped when a German bullet caught him in the head.
In the sunset of their years, these frail old men remain the greatest generation.
We leave Sept 8-10 to visit the WWII memorial—a monument built on the backs of those who served and returned or paid the ultimate price for freedom. Then, we will visit Arlington Cemetery, where we will witness the changing of the guard. The four oldest vets will lay a wreath in remembrance.
My father described being chosen to go on the Honor Flight as if he’d won the lotto. As his guardian/sidekick, it was made clear to me that I was not on vacation. I had a job to do to tend to his needs. I am honored and humbled to be part of this milestone moment.
D-Day for DC: September 8, 2016
“D-Day for DC” was Dad's first journal entry as we started our trip to the WWII memorial with Honor Flight.
The USO greeted us at SFO with homemade blueberry muffins and hugged our vets. Dad and I took a proud portrait in front of a wall-spanning flag. A young Marine on his way to Hawaii spoke to Dad for a while, as Dad was based there en route to Midway in 1944. They shared stories that can only be forged through the camaraderie of service.
The group of 25 vets, the average age 93, the oldest 99, were greeted in DC with a surprise hero's welcome. Over 100 well-wishers sang the Marine Corps anthem, waving flags, high-fiving, and shaking vet hands, which was very stirring. Tears of joy and pride earned from their past shone on more than one face.
The bus had a police escort, and well-wishers spontaneously called, “Thank you for your service!” as the old warhorses paraded by with American flags flying. Any issues getting through the legendary DC traffic melted to our police escort.
Our day had started at 3:30 AM, so we were exhausted by dinnertime.
Can Do! Seabee's Motto: September 9, 2016
The second day of our journey took the spirit of the Seabee motto, the division of service Dad served, as we went through nearly 100° weather.
Going to the World War II Memorial was not just a field trip. These were veterans who lived it. They felt the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge, slogged through the bloody sands of Utah Beach, and smelled the sulfuric fumes at Iwo Jima. This was the primary purpose of the Honor Flight trip: Help the veterans find closure and honor.
Again, we had a motorcycle and police escort all day and got into the high-security Fort Myers without ID and search, ran red lights, accessed roads only for service vehicles, rode special freight elevators at the Smithsonian, and even pissed off a secret service vehicle forcing him to move aside.
We also participated in changing the guard at Arlington and laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
In the military tradition of the 21-gun salute of honor, the sentry walked 21 steps, stood in front of the tomb for 21 seconds, and then clicked his heels, signifying a salute. As he passed us the first time, he dragged his heel in a long scrape, an unspoken way of saluting the vets. As the 25 wheelchairs lined up and soldiered one after another, many from the audience walked down the entire line, shaking the hand of every vet and thanking them for their service.
At the laying of the wreath by the oldest vets, two defining moments for me occurred...seeing in unison all saluting at the sound of taps. Then, when in the audience, two ladies turned with tears in their eyes as they gazed down the wheelchair row of silver.
We do roll call after every boarding the bus; most veterans say, “Yo,” but Marines grunt or yell, “Semper Fi!” This was especially appropriate when we stopped at the Marine memorial, as half a dozen Jarheads were in the group. Two were at the Battle of Iwo Jima, making this visit especially special and relevant.
Dad was one of two Seebees in the group, so the bus cut across four lanes to stop at the Seabee Memorial at Arlington with a Can-Do attitude to cap off an exhausting but once-in-a-lifetime day of touring.
At dinner, as a surprise to the vets, there was a “Mail Call,” celebrating a time before the internet and the lifeline between loved ones was a letter. Dad received, as a surprise gift from my sister Melanie and me, 40 letters of recognition, including from Presidents Bush and Clinton, Senator Feinstein, the Mayors of SF and Oakland, Seabee's Rear Admiral, local civic offices, three letters from the VFW, friends from the Navy and Marines, and a second-grade class from Louisville, KY. Other letters were intimate messages of empathy from the same branch as my father’s—Marines and Navy sailors serving in Korea, Vietnam, Middle Eastern fronts, and more. Each thanked him for his heartfelt appreciation for the uniform and my father.
After reading the kid's notes and seeing their drawings, I had hope for the next generation. They are learning that freedom is not free.
“The heroes are over there:” September 10, 2016
We were at the Vietnam Memorial, where 58,000 names of the honored dead were inscribed.
A lady saw my dad with his Honor Flight shirt and WWII vet hat and said he was a hero. Dad pointed to the wall and said, “The heroes are over there.”
Taps: September 10, 2016
Had morning coffee with “Doc,” a tail gunner in the European theater and a submarine hunter. I asked what the highlight of the trip was for him so far. As he answered that it had been the wreath presentation for the unknown soldier, I saw tears welling up. Doc told me of being a WWII honor guard and presented a flag to a fallen friend's mother. He mentioned that he was “kicked out” of the Navy, which I thought odd since this was an Honor Flight. I soon realized the rest of the story. Doc was shot down, wounded, “kicked out,” and sent home. I learned the definition of humility that day.
The sound of fire is not unfamiliar to a tail gunner, but the sound of taps and each shot of a 21-gun salute hit Doc’s heart hard.
Anchor's Aweigh: September 10, 2016
We were greeted by a Navy choir at the Lincoln Memorial with a rousing “Anchors Aweigh.” Seabee Al Chan was grinning from ear to ear. Go Navy!
Every sailor, every officer, shook every vet's hand. For Dad, it was the new Navy meeting the old. An Army vet gave the Navy his highest compliment... “Thanks for hauling my sorry ass around.”
At our last stop at the Navy Museum, we were sent off with a color guard the same way we started, with the pledge of allegiance.
Thank You Letters: September 13, 2016
To: Rachel Wollard, 2nd grade teacher, Greathouse Shyrock in Louisville, KY
Here is a little background info you can share as appropriate with a second-grade class about the video I made of the wreath ceremony and the hero’s welcome the vets received upon arriving at SFO.
(September 10, 2016, via email)
Old Soldiers Never Die ... if they are remembered
Our oldest vet's, including an Army nurse, had the honor of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. It was here the 25 silver soldiers took to heart Arlington Cemetery's credo to honor, remember and explore. But they were not alone, as people lined up to thank the vets for their service.
This reception was magnified 100 times over when we returned to SFO amid cheers, flags, welcome signs and songs from well wishers, USO, American Legion, VFW and 8 police forming a blue line in salute those who don't know they are heroes ... and honor those who didn't return.The letters the kids wrote were heartfelt and made me believe that maybe there is hope for the next generation ... although I did share with the 25 vets some things that only a child's innocence can say...
Have a safe trip to Washington DC. Congratulations on being selected by Honor Flight.
Thank you for serving in the US Navy, I would probably get seasick for real. Are you seasick from your trip?
Thank you for fighting, I can't believe you won the war. You really did save us.
I hope we won the war.
Did you win the war 150 years ago?
I cannot believe you are still alive.
You are so lucky to be here.
You saved our country, thank you so much.
I can't believe you were married 66 years. How did you be married for so many years?
I wish I were like you.
Your bravery has inspired many people, including us.
Thank you for protecting the USA. You are everyone's hero. We love America
Thank you for helping the kids understand that freedom is not free, and understand what these four words really mean.
Also, for every letter I got from a President, Senator, Admiral or Mayor to my dad, I put a child's letter next to it in the ebook. I'll send a copy of it when I am done. Maybe the kids will get a kick out of seeing their letter next to President Bush, or Ed Lee the Mayor of San Francisco.
Many thanks to you, Rachel and the kids for providing 25 silver soldiers the honor and closure they deserve.
Reply from Rachel, the teacher
I am grateful for the opportunity to give a tiny bit back to someone who gave so much for us.
My students enjoyed writing these letters very much and I enjoyed reading them. I got a kick out of some of their responses as well. They were from the heart and completely written on their own. I only helped with correct placement of the parts of the letter. I will share the video with them tomorrow.
Reading this email gave me goose bumps and I just want to say thank you to you and your family for your service and dedication to our country!
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All US veterans are eligible to go on an Honor Flight. Through private donations, Honor Flight pays for all meals, transportation in DC, flights, and hotels, but in reality, the veterans pay for this honor with their service.
I had the honor of volunteering for four Honor Flights and seeing the trip through the eyes of a WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War veteran. The last flight I took was a memorial flight for my father. Honor Flight allowed me to get off the bus at the WWII Memorial first. I carried a photo of my father as a Seabee on Midway Island in 1944.
When my father, Alfred Chan, passed in 2023, instead of flowers, we invited friends and families to make donations to fund six Chinese American veterans to go on Honor Flights. On the Honor Flight to the WWII Memorial, these veterans marched in unison behind me as Dad's honor guard, holding a folded flag for the fallen. Through my tears, I remembered how, as father and son, we had marched together to the WWII memorial. I miss him so much.
For more information on Honor Flight and to enroll a veteran, please visit HonorFlight.org
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What an interesting story you have chosen to share with Projectkin. All the time you have given to honour your father plus other Veterans shows where real humanity lives.
Thank-you.
Ron, I had to make a substack account so I could send a note about how wonderful this story was. Thank you for sharing the story of your father's trip and for his service to the country.