Honor Flight Arizona flies veterans to nation’s capital

PHOENIX — Cheers and applause greeted more than 30 veterans from Arizona as they boarded their flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Tuesday morning.

They flew to Washington, D.C., to visit veteran memorials.

“I’d like to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – that’s what I’m looking forward to,” said Army veteran Robert Gelczer, who was turning 94 years old.

The trip is free to veterans thanks to Honor Flight Arizona. The volunteer-led organization has flown about 2,300 veterans from across the state to the nation’s capital since 2008 using donations.

Honor Flight Arizona started out just flying World War II veterans. Several years ago, it expanded to veterans who served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The trip on Tuesday included for the first time veterans from the three wars.

Susan Howe, founder of Honor Flight Arizona, said one of her favorite parts about the trip is seeing veteran’s faces as they’re greeted by people of all ages in the airport.

“They are amazed at the number of people that come up and thank them for their service,” she said.

Howe has strong ties to the military. Her father served during WWII and both of her sons fought in Iraq.

Tuesday’s trip included five women. Among them was Marine Corp veteran June Dempsey, who served in the 1950s. She said she’s excited to visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

“That’s the most moving one there is,” she said.

Edward Bierman, a 96-year-old WWII and Korean War veteran, said he was nervous about the trip at first. But all that changed when he started getting to know other veterans on the trip.

He said they’ve all shared the same experience and “somehow it alleviates the anxiety.”

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