HONORAIR PAYS TRIBUTE TO VIETNAM VETERANS

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Daniel Gagnon | VIETNAM VETERANS STAND IN AWE AT THEIR WELCOME RECEPTION AT MCGHEE TYSON AIR PORT AFTER RETURNING FROM A VISIT TO WASHINGTON, D.C. TO TOUR THE MEMORIALS THAT WERE BUILT IN THEIR HONOR. THIS VISIT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY HONOR AIR KNOXVILLE, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. (U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY STAFF SGT DAN GAGNON, 134 ARW PUBLIC AFFAIRS)  

KNOXVILLE , TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES

06.14.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Daniel Gagnon 

134th Air Refueling Wing

6/09/2016 - MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. – A young boy perched on his father’s shoulders, his eyes fixated on the tarmac at McGhee Tyson Airport. “They’re here!, they’re here!,” he said. The boy could hardly wait for the Vietnam veterans to pour through the return gates toward the large crowd awaiting. Families, friends, and military members waving flags, balloons and banners welcomed the war heroes home.
150 Vietnam veterans were flown to Washington D.C. June 8, 2016 by HonorAir Knoxville to see the war memorials that were built in their honor.
The veterans departed McGhee Tyson Airport on a non-stop charter flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
This was the first HonorAir flight exclusively for Vietnam veterans, and it was the third of 21 HonorAir flights that have included Vietnam-era veterans. There were at least 10 Purple Heart recipients present for the flight.

While in Washington D.C., the veterans were able to tour the Air Force Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the World II Memorial, the Marine Memorial, and also got to visit Arlington National Cemetery, where they viewed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessed the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

The final donation amount from proceeds raised during the 2016 Smoky Mountain Air Show was presented by Lt. Col. Bart Wilder, 134th Air Refueling Wing Operations, at the gate prior to departure on Wednesday morning. A total of $350,000 was raised from the air show for HonorAir Knoxville.

• Date Taken: 06.14.2016
• Date Posted: 06.14.2016 13:45
• Story ID: 201092
• Location: KNOXVILLE , TENNESSEE, US