FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of South Florida veterans visited three memorials dedicated to their service in Washington, D.C. thanks to an all-expenses-paid Honor Flight from Spirit Airlines.
The flight, which took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday, included veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
As a teenager, John Koenig survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary in a forced labor camp. A few years later, as an immigrant of the U.S., he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Koenig said he was excited for the flight to the nation’s capital.
When asked what he thought about being drafted, Koenig said, “It would be an honor for me to serve the U.S.”
His story may be unique, but his humility is not.
World War II veteran Arthur Schorr, who turned 99 on the day of the flight, said these events made him feel like they were meant for someone else.
“I have mixed feelings right now,” Schorr said, “because I never served overseas, I never had the feeling that I participated, and it took a long time before I got to feel like I was a veteran.”
Everyone on the Spirit Airlines flight played a part from supply to medical corps.
“Thank you for your service,” a woman said to the veterans as they boarded the plane.
When the flight landed at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the veterans were escorted to Arlington National Cemetery where the veterans paid their respects in silence.
“Audie Murphy was my hero, so as soon as I can, I signed up, and I stayed 27 years, but I felt proud of what I was doing. Need to do it,” Vietnam veteran Daniel Wilcox said.
Myron Greenberg served from 1941 to 1945 and passed away in his early 50s. His sons joined the veterans on the flight.
“They are all my father’s face. They are all my father’s spirit,” Dr. Phil Greenberg said.
The weight of sacrifice felt the heaviest at the Vietnam memorial.
The names of those lost were reflected by those still living.
Despite ongoing conflicts, fewer Americans serve in the armed forces now compared to the 1940s.
A smaller percentage shouldering a larger burden but not a lot of boasting will come from the veterans.
People at the cemetery sang “Happy Birthday” to Schorr.
Crowds and cheers waited for the arriving veterans at FLL, which was one of the ways to say “Thank you for your service” without words.
Spirit Airlines said they will be hosting three more Honor Flights in 2019.
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