Clare County Veterans Service Officer Attends Honor Flight

Clare County Veterans Service Officer Allisha Gary recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight which included Vietnam, Korea and World War II veterans.

Gary attended as a designated “Guardian” or escort for Navy veteran John Goodloe of Carleton. The flight departed Traverse City in the early hours of Oct. 15 and returned late on Oct. 16 after two exciting days touring memorials in and near the nation’s capital. Stops included Fort McHenry, the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknowns.

After the Arlington visit, the group stopped at the Air Force Memorial, then crossed the Potomac River into the Capital to visit the Lincoln Memorial. The veterans and their guardians then proceeded to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, where the they had the opportunity to search for the names of fallen comrades or friends killed in Vietnam. They continued to the Korea Memorial, then on to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The final stops of the trip were to the Navy Museum and then back across the Potomac to end at the Marine Corps Memorial.

The flight returned to Traverse City where an enthusiastic crowd awaited the veterans’ arrival. Veterans were warmly greeted with music, handshakes and “thank-yous” from the crowd to welcome them home. Each veteran received commemorative gifts and photos from their memorable trip.