BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Honor Flight 52 has arrived in Washington, DC. I'm Mike Hart, your senior reporter. A long day of travel on a charter flight from Allegiant Air from Bakersfield to Baltimore, landing in the rain and cold, then a long drive into our nation's capital to get geared up for a full day of activities tomorrow.
Honor Flight 52 started on a high note courtesy of Nashville's country quartet Mark 209. In town for a couple of concerts, they dropped by to give our veterans a musical sendoff.
Leading the way on Monday, the lone World War II veteran, Mel Corren, the oldest vet at 101 years old, who made the trip from Stockton to take part after skipping a previous flight when his brother passed away.
But then, as time wore on, I thought to myself, if my brother went so fast, what the hell, I should take advantage of whatever I can in this life.
There are 101 veterans on this flight,41 from the Army,24 Air Force,22 Navy,14 Marines, and 1 Coast Guard. Norma Lamasus, a 100-year-old Air Force nurse, served during Korea and told me she almost didn't get clearance to go on this deployment.
She was joined by another nurse, Donna Wolfe, who served in the Army stateside, treating severely wounded soldiers returning from Vietnam.
One of the endearing components of this trip is a sense of healing for many and camaraderie for others.
And it's not just the veterans in the blue shirts who get a lot out of this experience.
The veterans touched down late Monday afternoon, as the bell tolled courtesy of Squire Frederick. He's been a fixture in Baltimore along with the Honor Flight ground crew who greet every flight.
On Tuesday, the tour will begin at the World War II Memorial, followed by the Vietnam Memorial, Korea, and so on and so forth. It'll be a full day of touring for our veterans, and we will follow along and bring you the highlights throughout the day. Reporting from Washington, DC, I'm Mike Hart, your senior reporter.
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