Mike Johnson
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The support of our veterans is still strong in the world today. There have been many programs set in play to help with supporting them. Honor Flight Network is one of the programs in motion to help transport America’s veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring those who have served and sacrificed for our country. The Honor Flight Network currently serves veterans who served from World War II to the Korean War and through to The Vietnam War. The Honor Flight Network also serves catastrophically ill and injured veterans from all service eras.
According to Honor Flight's Communication Officer Carol Harlow, after 16 months of being shut down due to the COVID pandemic, Honor Flights will be restarting their flights on Aug. 16. Monticello's Al Cooksey, a Vietnam Army Veteran, was chosen to take this all-expense-paid trip with the restarting of flights. Cooksey served our nation from 1968 - 1971.
Cooksey was born and raised in Monticello, where he is a fourth-generation farmer. He was drafted to join the fight in Vietnam, but after his physical and testings, he went back to the recruiter and joined on his own accord. He served three years working in the headquarters company because of his strong ability to type. Cooksey received a security clearance soon after joining, causing him to work with crucial secured information of our nation and the war. After serving his years, he left with the rank of an E5 and came back to Monticello to finish up his schooling at Florida State University, in Tallahassee.
The Honor Flight is set for Saturday, Sept. 18, where he and other veterans will be able to go to memorial landmarks and sites to pay homage to all of the fallen brothers in arms. Most veterans that the Honor Flight takes to Washington, D.C. cannot make the trip on their own accord. The program is set up to let veterans who are still with us today have that one last chance to say their goodbyes to friends, family members and loved ones, tell stories with comrades and share their own experiences. Many of these men have never had the opportunity to share their stories with someone who understood the pain and agony that these heroes have gone through.
Today, the Honor Flight Network comprises over 125 hubs throughout the country dedicated to carrying out the Honor Flight mission. The Network, as a whole, serves over 22,000 veterans each year. Since its formation in 2005, the Honor Flight Network has taken more than 240,000 veterans to Washington, D.C.
If it weren't for two of Cooksey's friends and veteran brothers, he would have never have signed up for the flight, let alone looked into the Honor Flight Program. He believes it is a great honor to be chosen for this experience and hopes others will reach out and get the same opportunity of a lifetime like him.