Widmann participates in Honor Flight 2022

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Honor Flight Tallahassee recently provided 77 military veterans with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C., where they visited the monuments raised in honor of their service. Among the passengers was Jefferson County resident Richard Widmann. Widmann served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1962 to 1982 and today is pastor of Cove Haven Ministries of Aucilla.
Widmann met up with the Honor Flight group extra early on Saturday, April 23, at the Tallahassee Airport, where Mission BBQ provided a delicious breakfast before their 7 a.m. departure. All veterans had a personal guardian assigned to assist them to ensure a smooth, safe and memorable journey. A medical team accompanied the group, and wheelchairs were provided for all to support their comfort and endurance throughout the trip.
After arriving at Baltimore/Washington International, the veterans and their support personnel boarded buses to begin the jam-packed, one-day tour that would last from morning into the night.
The first stop on the itinerary was Arlington National Cemetery. Honor Flight Tallahassee provided a guide who presented the history of the site, a U.S. military cemetery in whose 639 acres the dead of the nation's conflicts have been buried, beginning with the Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars. At the heart of the cemetery lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a sacred memorial site that inspires reflection on service, valor, sacrifice and mourning. Then it was on to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (also referred to as the Iwo Jima Memorial), U.S. Air Force Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.
Widmann says, “It was a real joy to go, a privilege. They treated us excellently. They went out of their way to bless us, and they did.”
During the day, Widmann discovered that his friend and fellow Coast Guard Veteran Jack Hanbury was also on the trip. One of the few members of the U.S. Coast Guard with combat experience in Vietnam, Widmann also especially appreciated the time he had at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
During the evening flight home from Baltimore Washington airport, Honor Flight Tallahassee had a surprise for the veterans.
It all began with a name being called out, a veteran being located on the plane, a manilla envelope being delivered. One by one, each veteran received a package.
“We have solicited letters and cards from family, friends, school children and complete strangers to thank each Veteran for their service and sacrifice,” explained Flight Director Mac Kemp. “We do an old fashioned Mail Call on the return flight and give each Veteran a package of mail we have received. We get thousands of letters. It is one of our planned surprises.”
“The mail call was tremendous,” says Widmann. “My wife did a tremendous job contacting old friends and family. I received more than 50 letters in my envelope.”
Even when they arrived back in Tallahassee at 10:15 p.m., the Honor Flight experience continued. Several hundred enthusiastic well-wishers waited at the hangar to greet them. Family and friends, as well as Congressman Neil Dunn, members of The Marine Corps League, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, American Legion members and AMVETS cheered, waved flags and held up signs to recognize and thank the veterans for their service to their country.
For veterans who served during the Vietnam War, the welcome home phase of their 2022 Honor flight trip was especially meaningful, providing a positive, uplifting contrast to the often disrespectful reception Vietnam veterans had coming home from the war at the time.
“The welcome home was a tremendous surprise and a blessing,” says Widmann. “All the people who turned out – it brought joy to my heart.”
Tallahassee Swing Band added to the celebratory mood, filling the air with sentimental and patriotic songs, including Johnson Rag, Sentimental Journey, Song of India, Little Brown Jug, Sway, Stompin’ at the Savoy, Respect, Colors of the Wind, Two O’Clock Jump, Begin the Beguine, Tuxedo Junction, Jumpin’ East of Java, Tin Roof Blues, Armed Forces Medley, God Bless the USA, In the Mood and America the Beautiful.
To read about other local veterans who participated in the 2022 Honor Flight Tallahassee, see the article in the May 27, 2022, issue of the Jefferson County Journal.
Honor Flight participants highly recommend the experience to other veterans. The websites honorflight.org and honorflighttallahassee.org are great places for veterans to find information about the program and upcoming opportunities to participate.
Honor Flight Tallahassee was established by members of the Leon County Emergency Medical Services during the summer of 2010, and by May of 2013 their first planeload of well-deserving military veterans took off for Washington, D.C. “We are both humbled by, and grateful to, all who continue to help Honor Flight Tallahassee pursue its mission,” the website states. “Our efforts are a very small token of appreciation for those who courageously served our nation.”