Alaska veterans visit nation’s capital for honor flight
Last Frontier Honor Flight toured the memorials Thursday
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Twenty-three Alaska veterans took the trip of a lifetime Thursday. They visited the memorials in Washington constructed in their honor.
They flew for more than nine hours, including a stop in Seattle, to get the nation’s capital from Anchorage, Alaska. The veterans on Thursday’s honor flight said the destination was well worth the journey.
“Teary eyed because it’s a beautiful memorial for all these soldiers that have served in the military,” said Josephine Huskey, a former Army nurse who lives in Anchorage.
For Huskey, visiting the World War II Memorial on the National Mall is deeply personal. She feels a special connection to those who served in the war.
“I relate to them because of my father being in World War II, and my father was also a prisoner of war in the Philippines,” she said.
While World War II veterans were celebrated as heroes upon their return, that wasn’t the case for soldiers returning from Vietnam. Veterans like Francis Dunne, who served in the Air Force, experienced hostility on the home front when they came back.
“It was was such a surprise because I was so proud of having answered the call to my country,” Dunne said.
Thursday’s honor flight is now re-writing that narrative.
“It sort of washes away all the nastiness that we experienced when we got back from Vietnam,” Dunne said.
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