It is no doubt veterans deserve all of the love, honor, and appreciation America has to offer. Fighting for our country is an incredibly brave and courageous act that veterans have done and are currently doing for the price of freedom. Robert Smith was one of the 75 veterans given the opportunity to take part in the most recent Honor Flight of West Central Florida. This occurred on June 4, 2024, and flew these veterans from the St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport to Washington D.C.
Smith served in the Air Force for 20 years and worked in telephone communications. Smith mentioned that throughout his duration of serving our country, he traveled to Texas, the State of Washington, Republic of China, MacDill, Vietnam, Arizona, RAF Mildenhall in England, and many other places. He earned the rank of E6 Tech Sergeant before retiring.
The Honor Flight of West Central Florida provided these veterans with a free, roundtrip charter flight, luxury motor coach in Washington D.C., wheelchairs as needed, all three meals of the day, a hat, shirt, and backpack. Every mission cost $85,000—worth every penny for these brave men and women. Mr. Smith applied for the honor flight then waited two years to finally be selected.
“The process started at 3 a.m. in the morning, we arrived at the airport, and we returned the same day at 8 p.m.,” Smith said. Though this was a one-day adventure, he said he was able to see and experience many things throughout Washington D.C in such a short time frame. He saw the Vietnam Wall, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, walked around the grave sites, and much more.
When asked about the whole experience of the Honor Flight, Mr. Smith had a lot to say. “Brought back a lot of memories. A lot of positive memories and some negative too. Coming back from Vietnam there was an unwritten rule…don’t wear your uniform in public and don’t tell that you’re in the military because of all the antics going on at the time, and it reminded me of that,” Smith said. He then spoke of how this Honor Flight was completely different than coming back from Vietnam. He and other veterans felt so welcomed as people were standing in the airport greeting and cheering them on as they arrived back from Washington D.C. Many veterans were greeted with stuffed animals, leis that were placed around their necks, and coins. A Santa Claus organization also provided the veterans with stars in a plastic holder (which Smith did not understand until he got home). He found out that instead of burning the American Flag when it gets destroyed, the stars are cut out and given to people as a token of the gratitude of America.
After being asked what was meaningful about the Honor Flight, Smith responded, “I was stationed in Andrews before, I never really went to the memorials, plus they weren’t built at the time I was there. So, this was an informative and emotional look at things.” Being able to experience the memorials in Washington D.C. was incredibly meaningful to him. Smith experienced many other veterans taking in the sights and memorials. One of the veterans could barely stand up to touch his partner’s name that was listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the flight back, Smith was handed an envelope. “They called out each veteran’s name and they gave you a large envelope…huge, stuffed with something inside. They gave it to you and then I looked at a few things, and it was cards, letters, posters from people all over the United States saying thank you…there was even one in mine from a congressman,” added Smith. This is a great way to show support, love, and thanks to the men and women who served our country.
The Honor Flight of West Central Florida was the experience of a lifetime for retired veteran, Robert Smith. His sacrifice for this country does not go unnoticed. After he served, he spoke of the difficulties of his mindset and finding himself after everything he went through. There is one thing for sure…we are thankful for Robert Smith’s bravery, commitment to serve, and love for the United States of America. If you have served, are currently serving, or have thoughts of serving in the future, we appreciate you. It is because of you that we are the land of the free. God Bless you.