South Alabama WWII Vets See History

Alabama Mobile 91 veterans return from free trip to Washington DC.

by Steve Alexander

Published: Wed, May 06, 2009 - 9:23 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, May 06, 2009 - 10:16 pm CST

A special homecoming Wednesday in Mobile for a special group of war veterans.
91 World War Two veterans from south Alabama arrived back at Mobile Regional Airport after spending a day visiting the World War Two Memorial in Washington DC.
The veterans received a rousing welcome as they returned home on a flight Wednesday night.
The trip was courtesy of Honor Flight Network, a group that provides trips for veterans to see memorials.
The reception was courtesy of the people of Mobile.
When asked what he thought of the reception, Jeremiah Hammond said, "Great. It was out of this world."
Arthur Prince said, "The most memorable (part) is the Vietnam War Museum. I thought that was by far the best of all the memorials, but the whole thing was grand."
When asked if she was surprised by the reception, Irene Bednikoff said, "Yes, I was. Its awesome, its awesome."
Jonathan Leff said, "I think from the word 'Go' when we got on those buses out at Fort Whiting, and were led by the sheriff's department, and we went through red light, after red light, after red light, we were on a high and we maintained that high all day long."
95 year old Gaywood Steadham was the oldest veteran on the flight.
His two brothers also served in World War Two, but they were killed.
Steadham said he saw his brothers' names listed at the memorial.
He said, "When they played taps, I told you it was going to bring tears to my eyes. It did. It was so emotional, though. I still feel like I'm 32 thousand feet up in the air."
Mobile County donated $10,000 to make Wednesday's honor flight possible.
More trips are planned for the future.

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