The veterans had just returned from a weekend trip to Washington, D.C., courtesy of San Diego’s Honor Flight program. This initiative offers free trips to the nation’s capital for veterans, allowing them to visit the memorials of the wars they served in.
The Honor Flight program is more than just a sightseeing tour. It is a poignant journey that culminates in a homecoming celebration at the airport, a tribute these veterans never received when they returned from war decades ago. This emotional reunion often serves as a cathartic experience for the veterans, allowing them to process emotions they had long suppressed.
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Navy veteran Dick Couch, who was part of the Honor Flight, described the experience as an "emotional roller coaster." As the veterans descended the escalator or elevator towards the crowd, many were moved to tears, hugging fellow veterans and family members who had come to welcome them home.
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"I'm overwhelmed. We just didn't expect it," said Frank Toms, another Honor Flight Navy veteran. "Makes my heart swell up and makes me want to cry."
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San Diego is part of a national nonprofit Honor Flight network that has, over the past 19 years, facilitated trips for more than 275,000 veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The program also extends its services to terminally ill veterans of any service era. Since 2010, the San Diego chapter alone has taken more than 1,800 veterans on these trips.
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The veterans on Sunday's trip were all veterans of Naval Special Warfare Operations who served in the Korean War or Vietnam War. For many, the trip provided a rare opportunity to heal and process emotions from the wars in a way they had not been able to before.
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"It gave me closure," said George Sousa, an Army veteran of the Korean War and Purple Heart recipient.
The homecoming welcome at the airport is particularly significant for these veterans, as many did not receive such a reception when they returned home from war. Air Force veteran Rich Frauenzimmer, who was spat on and had water thrown at him by anti-war protesters when he returned from Vietnam in 1969, drove down to San Diego from his home in Yorba Linda to give other veterans the warm welcome he didn’t receive.
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The Honor Flight trip is a whirlwind of emotions, said Lawrence Hinkle, a retired San Diego State University educator who went on an Honor Flight in 2022. He was moved to tears when he saw his father-in-law’s name on the Vietnam War Memorial. Hinkle attended the homecoming to give other veterans the Honor Flight welcome he had received.
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During their trip, the veterans visited the Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, U.S. Navy Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. They also got a surprise visit from the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro.
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Honor Flights are funded entirely by donations, enabling veterans to go on the trip for free. The San Diego Honor Flight chapter typically holds two trips a year, each costing about $320,000. The program is entirely volunteer-run, with a four-year waiting list for trips. Depending on circumstances such as medical condition, veterans may be moved up the priority list.
Korean and Vietnam war veterans can apply for the program by visiting honorflightsandiego.org.
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