Hoosier Honor Flight Sends Local WWII Vets To D.C.

Reporter-Times - Martinsville, IN, USA

By Lacey Nix Reporter-Times
March 29, 2009

Robert Gipson left the military more than 60 years ago, but the memories of WWII are always fresh in his mind. Gipson, a resident of Morgantown, served in the 5th Infantry Division and was the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

At 88 years old, Gipson never thought he would see the memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring him and the thousands of other WWII veterans. That was true, until he was told by members of the Hoosier Honor Flight he would be taking a one day, all-expenses-paid trip to see the memorial.

Gipson, along with 39 other veterans and 15 helpers, took the first of the Hoosier Honor Flights on Nov. 12, 2008. They were able to see the WWII, Vietnam and Korean conflict memorials. They also had the option of seeing the Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of the Unknowns and the Arlington National Cemetery.

Gipson, who was hit by a land mine and held as a prisoner of war for a month, has many feelings and memories of the war. However, standing in front of the WWII Memorial, all he felt was pride. He said, “I was really proud to go up with this group. It was a nice group and nice flight.”

Gipson was lucky to get a seat on the flight. He was originally listed as an alternate on the list of people going to Washington.

“Someone canceled at the last minute, so we got to go. I was tired when I got home, but it was definitely worth it,” he said.

Although the Hoosier Honor Flight is new to the area, the concept has been around the country for a while. The goal of HHF is to get as many WWII veterans to Washington to see the memorial before they pass away.

President of the Hoosier Honor Flight Inc., John Tilford, says achieving this goal has been an uphill battle. Tilford says that we are losing nearly 1,200 WWII veterans a day.

“We are down to 2 million left out of the 16 million who survived the war,” Tilford said.

Tilford hoped to get HHF started in 2007 but ran into some obstacles along the way. He now has a renewed sense of dedication to the trip and hopes to take many more.

“We lost some of the guys we wish we had taken before,” he said.

HHF has scheduled the next trip to Washington for April 22 and hopes to do another in September. Leigh Hayden and Robert Shouse of Martinsville were both listed as waiting to be on the April 22 Hoosier Honor Flight.

Tilford has seen the trip grow from 40 in November to more than 112 veterans scheduled in April. With an average veteran age of 85, Tilford stresses that time is of the essence when getting these veterans out to Washington.

Out of the 40 scheduled for November’s flight, six were unable to make it due to health reasons. HHF books veterans on flights based on the order they file their applications. Tilford has made exceptions for those with ailing health or terminal illnesses.

Serving in the military for more than 38 years, Tilford has a special place in his heart for veterans.

“There are some things you run across in life by chance; this is the right thing to do and the right time,” he said.

HHF does not charge veterans to go on the trip; they pay for everything. Tilford said, “The vets are absolutely free, that is the whole purpose of the program.”

HHF pays for this by collecting a fee from the “guardians” who travel with the vets and with donations.

The average fee for a guardian is around $400. However, Tilford says that the guardians feel honored to go to the memorial with the vets and are happy to pay. The remaining 2/3 of the trip is paid for with donations.

The November trip cost HHF around $21,000. This is a minimal expense, Tilford says, “It’s a life changing deal for the vets.”

Putting together these trips are a lot of hard work, but well worth the payoff when vets like Gipson see the memorial, says Tilford.

“There is an obvious connection, we understand each other,” Tilford said. “Some vets are literally in tears.”

Gipson had one of these moments when he got off the plane in Washington.

“Probably the most tearful was when the other passengers in Washington International cheered and started applauding the vets. It was great,” he said.

Gipson said, “It was the kind of moment that made the hair stand on your head. We got applause for about five minutes as we walked down and boarded the bus.”

This was not the only time the vets were honored in such a way. Tilford said, “Several times during the day people walked up and thanked them.”

Gipson said he will always remember the trip and has created a scrapbook with many photos to pass on to future generations. His favorite memory was at the Tomb of the Unknown. He said, “We got to see the graves of the unknown soldiers, and four people in our group put a wreath on the grave.”

HHF drew names to see which veterans would get to place a wreath on the tomb.

“The changing of the guard there was really something,” Gipson said.

To learn more about the Hoosier Honor Flight or to get an application, contact John Tilford at 812-336-5574. To learn more about the national effort to get WWII veterans to Washington, visit www.honorflight.org.