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Blue Star Mothers to host Honor Flight to DC for Lycoming County-area Korean, Vietnam War veterans

In today's society, veterans of the armed forces are highly celebrated, but sadly that was not always the case, as those returning from the Korean War, and particularly, the Vietnam War were often met with social disdain and a lack of transitional institutions.

While that attitude has changed over the decades, many veterans of those conflicts never received the honors of so many before or after them, a wrong the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. North Central PA Chapter 12 seeks to right.

On Oct. 10, the organization, in partnership with Honor Flights Philadelphia, will host a bus trip, composed of Korean and Vietnam war veterans, that will travel to several sites in Washington D.C., including the memorials erected in honor of those who served in the respective conflicts.

This will be the first of its kind to originate from Lycoming County and the northcentral region, according to chapter Vice-President Laura Farnsworth, who previously served five years as the chapter's president.

Farnsworth learned of Honor Flights during her time as president, and was immediately taken by the idea of putting one together.

"I saw it, and was like, 'I want to bring that here to Williamsport,' because it had never been done before in this area, so I took it back to our chapter and the ladies were all on board," she explained.

Because the trip from Williamsport is slightly further than the closest hub in Philadelphia, the trip will be spread out over two days.

"We're going to go down Saturday, tour all the monuments, go to Arlington, and that night we're going to provide a hotel room and dinner for the vets, and the next morning, we're going to the Annapolis Military Museum," she said.

The veterans will then receive the welcome home that is long overdue.

"We're going to meet up with first responders and motorcyclists in Lewisburg, and they're going to escort us back to Penn College," Farnsworth said, adding that she hopes for a big turn out from the community along the route as well as once they reach campus.

"In Philadelphia, they had first responders with ladder trucks, and they held a flag over, and it was just beautiful, and then the buses all drove underneath it, so we're trying to put that together," she said.

Honor flights began simply when, in 2004, a physician's assistant and pilot named Earl Morris, offered to fly a World War II veteran that he was treating to the newly finished WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to Honor Flights Philadelphia board member Andrew Schiavello.

"The veteran just broke down and cried, so he took two vets down with him, and when he came back, there was a handful waiting," Schiavello said.

Since that time, the operation has transported 350,000 veterans from around the country to visit the various war memorials at no cost to the veterans, though Schiavello pointed out that, including chaperones, the organization has transported roughly 700,000 in total.

Along with being one of the highest rated non-profits, Honor Flights is the only organization allowed to drive buses up to the Tomb of the Unknown or commercially travel on the Baltimore Washington Parkway.

"We're the only organization where, if you tell TSA it's an honor flight trip, the veterans don't have to do anything but walk through the metal detector," Schiavello said.

With the aging population of veterans increasing, the flights have evolved, Schiavello said.

"When we started, it was all WW II, and they were the aging veteran, and back in the day, we would put an announcement at church and hang something in a supermarket, but they don't get out anymore, so it's hard to find them," Schiavello said, adding that only one WWII veteran, aged 102, was present for their most recent flight.

"The ones that are still with us, the Vietnam vets, were young, and now they are up in age. There was a point where we had four buses. It was all Vietnam vets. They didn't need guardians, but now they do," he said.

In fact, 2027 will be the first year that the National Cemetery is opening up Honor Flights to include veterans of Operation Desert Storm.

"It's so touching, and it's so deserved by these guys because they did not have the welcome home or the treatment when they got back that they should have," Farnsworth said, her voice filled with emotion.

"One gentleman was walking back, and he was telling us how amazing it was to be there, and he saw a couple of his friends' names on the wall, and then he started crying, and then I started crying," she said of a recent honor flight she took part in.

"I had a guy who's buddy next to him was killed in action. All he could remember was Douglas and the day he was killed, and one of the bus leaders looked it up on Google and found it through the sites," Schiavello explained.

"We took him to the wall, and all he wanted to do was touch his buddy's name. He said, 'I've been waiting to do this. Now I have closure. I don't want to carry his name in my wallet,'" he said, adding that another man related how despite his father having a severe stutter, he speaks clearly when talking about Honor Flights.

"You don't think about it, but it was open ended. They didn't get the welcome home. They didn't get the thanks. They didn't get the recognition. They're afraid to go to the wall, and when they finally get there, it's almost like therapy to them," Schiavello said.

Schiavello said the participation of the community during their return trip is one of the most impactful parts of the flight.

"It reminds them that a nation still loves them. A lot of these guys forget that they're still adored and loved, but people today understand what happened when they came home. They understand that they set the tone for the way we treat our veterans now," he said.

"When we have people supporting us, it helps the community to better understand, it gets them more engaged, it gets up the curiosity, and it really helps us give them the welcome home and the thank you that they deserve," Farnsworth said.

Schiavello compared his and Farnsworth's passion for the project to that of devout sports fans.

"I go to a sports game, and you see the people that are painted green or they're painted red for the Eagles or Phillies, and I used to look at them like, oh my God, they're a little off," he said with a laugh.

"And then somebody told me, 'Andrew, that's their passion. They're passionate about their team, and at the time I said, 'I don't have a passion.' Well, now I do have my passion," he said.

Anyone interested in taking part in an Honor Flight is encouraged to reach out to Farnsworth at 570-419-2335, bluestarmothers@honorflightphiladelphia.org, or through their Blue Star Mothers Facebook page.