Emerald Coast Honor Flight

Pensacola Bill World War II Veterans return from a trip to their memorial in Washington.

by Bill Riales

Published: Wed, October 21, 2009 - 9:43 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, October 21, 2009 - 11:14 pm CST

PENSACOLA, Florida - 102 World War II Veterans returned to a hero's welcome a Pensacola Regional Airport. Hundreds of family members, friends and supporters gathered to greet them. This is the fifth Honor Flight organized by volunteers with Emerald Coast Honor Flight.

"It brings to a total of 515 veterans who have made the trip from across Florida's first Congressional District, which is basically the panhandle," said Don Salter, a board member for Emerald Coast Honor Flight.

"It's a wonderful day," says Charles Schmidt. "Far beyond what I thought it was going to be."

Each flight costs about 80 thousand dollars and each time a little more than 100 veterans, along with volunteer guardians and a flight doctor take the trip on a chartered aircraft. Many of the veterans have been waiting months to go. Erastus Trigg, who served in the Navy as an armed guard for Merchant Marines during the war, said he signed up two years ago when the flights were first being organized.

"And they called my name, " he says. "Yessir, I was proud to go."

"Oh, it was probably about the third trip when we first found out about it," said Gene Hamilton, also a Navy veteran. "I applied for it right then and it was 'til this trip, they called me."

Salter says what's made these trips work so well is the support they've gotten from the community, the military, and even school children--who benefit from the history.

"What we do," says Salter, "is after the veterans get back from their flight we then start placing them in the schools and share their history with our students. So it becomes a real history lesson for our kids as well."

It's become an important mission to get as many World War II Vets to their memorial because of one very urgent reason.
"Across the country there are approximately twelve hundred World War II Veterans who we lose everyday, so its a generation that's leaving us much too soon," Salter says.

He says the group hopes two organize at least two more Honor Flights next April.

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