Morrow County veterans (left to right) Don Rhodebeck, Mike McKinney, and Mike Lancaster pose for a photo at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport prior to their Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
Photos submitted by Honor Flight Columbus guardians
By Alberta Stojkovic
For the Sentinel
Three Morrow County veterans made the day-long journey on the April 13 Honor Flight to visit veteran memorials in Washington, D.C.
The three reminisced about the highlights of their trip as well as memories of their days in the service.
Mike McKinney was surprised by the feeling of respect he felt throughout the day in Washington.
“The silence and respect was noticeable, especially at the Vietnam wall,” said McKinney, who served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1969 in Vietnam and Panama.
Don Rhodebeck, who served stateside in the Army from 1953-1955, was impressed with the size of Arlington National Cemetery. He said there are 30-35 burials every day at Arlington.
Rhodebeck said it was impressive to see the horse-drawn wagon and precision of the ceremony at a burial there as well as the graves of John Glenn and Audie Murphy.
Mike Lancaster was amazed with the organization of Honor Flight.
“Everything went very smoothly, and the camaraderie was great – being with all the guys and sharing stories,” said Lancaster, who served in Germany from 1966-1968.
All three of the veterans were drafted soon out of high school. McKinney and Lancaster recalled they went to the Mount Gilead Post Office where they got on a bus to take them to basic training.
They took off early with the Columbus Honor Flight from John Glenn Columbus International Airport. It was a hot day in Washington, D.C. with temperatures reaching 85 degrees, so they were lucky to have a good breeze.
The men were very appreciative of their volunteer “guardians” who accompanied them on the trip. Their guardians were two sisters who were on the Honor Flight for the first time.
They said the guardians were well prepared and helped them in any way they could.
“The guys in the wheel chairs were well taken care of also,” Lancaster said. The oldest veteran on the trip was a 98-year-old who served during World War II.
“It was all pretty cool, especially when we all walked right straight through security at the airport,” said McKinney.
Rhodebeck said even the end of the day was full of surprises when they got mail call as they arrived back in Columbus. Then their airplane taxied through an arch of water sprayed by water cannons from the fire department as a salute to their return.
They were greeted by hundreds at the airport as veterans’ families and friends welcomed them home and bag pipes played as they walked through the crowd.
The three men were part of the 82 veterans in Mission 120 Columbus Honor Flight sponsored by Vance Outdoors. They are appreciative of all who support the program and volunteer in many ways.
McKinney urges every veteran 65 or older to get ahold of the county veterans’ service office to get paperwork to go on an Honor Flight. There are eight more Honor Flights scheduled this year to leave from Columbus.
“You need to go,” said McKinney.
The Morrow County Veterans Service Office is located at 143 S. Main St. in Mount Gilead and can be reached by calling 419-946-1914.
For more informtion on Columbus Honor Flight, visit www.honorflightcmh.org.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.
