By Clay Wright, ALA National Headquarters Program Coordinator 
 
I had the amazing opportunity to attend an Honor Flight as a guardian for my grandfather in September through the Greater Lafeyette Chapter in Indiana. My grandfather served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, and it was an honor to be able to accompany him for a day of celebrating him and his service to our country.
 

The day started bright and early at 6 a.m. when 84 veterans and their guardians gathered at the Purdue University Airport for breakfast and camaraderie before takeoff. It may have been early, but the spirits and energy were high. 
 
As we boarded the plane around 7:30 a.m., everyone was settling into their seats. This was the first time my grandpa flew on an airplane in 57 years — the last time being his return flight from Vietnam. As we landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, we were met by the airport fire department, which honored the veterans with a water salute, spraying the plane as we passed. After deplaning and walking up the jet bridge, passengers waiting for their flights gathered around the decorated gate to welcome the veterans with applause under a large banner that read “Welcome Home”.
 
Throughout the day, we made many stops and saw many memorials and monuments. Our first stop took us to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and the Netherlands Carillon. After that, we headed to Arlington National Cemetery where the veterans were given an opportunity to see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 
 
As afternoon approached, we finally headed into the heart of Washington, D.C. The buses rolled up to the World War II Memorial where local volunteers were carrying a banner that read “Welcome, Honor Flight”. We were able to get a picture underneath the Indiana pillar before loading up and heading to the next stop. On the other end of the Reflecting Pool, our bus stopped so that we could visit the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. 
 
I knew the Vietnam Memorial would be the most emotional part of the day. As many others were making rubbings of names to take home with them, my grandpa didn’t want to do that. We found the location of a few names of men he grew up with by using the “Find A Name” app. We stood for a moment at each name to pay our respects. Our final stop of the day as we travelled back to the airport was the Air Force Memorial, a stunning structure that sits atop a hill overlooking the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery.
 
After a long day in D.C., we made our way back to the airport. As we traveled through the airport, one very eager volunteer yelled, “Guardians down the escalator first! If the veterans fall, it’s your job to catch them!” We made our way through the airport where the same plane we left still sat at the same gate waiting to take us home. 
 
In the air, Honor Flight staff passed out letters that had been collected by friends, family, and community members for the veterans to have mail call on the return flight. As my grandfather read the letters from family, his hands trembled. It was the most emotional he had gotten through the entire experience. 
 
As we landed, we saw the crowd of people that had gathered to welcome the veterans home. Family, friends, community members, and members of the local American Legion Family waved flags and banners, made signs, clapped, cheered, and shook the hands of every veteran as they walked through the crowd.