St. Nazianz veterans head to NYC as part of Honor Flight: 'A trip I will never forget'
ST. NAZIANZ — Even as conflicts in the Middle East are heating up, one nonprofit is taking time to honor military veterans who have served in the ongoing war on terror.
Last fall, Old Glory Honor Flight flew 59 veterans from the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars to New York City as part of its Freedom to Liberty Tour: A Mission of Healing.
Three local veterans were among those randomly chosen to participate: Dean Koenig and Nancy Schnell Rivera from American Legion Post 477 in St. Nazianz and Jason Nett, a member of American Legion Post 128 in Stockbridge in Calumet County.
This is the first honor flight to include veterans of the more recent Middle Eastern conflicts.
“We feel the Freedom to Liberty Tour provided a sense of purpose to our deployments,” Rivera said. “We gained invaluable camaraderie and friendship, and the trip itself was life-changing.”
The Old Glory Honor Flight’s mission is to take Wisconsin veterans — free of charge — to Washington, D.C., (and now New York) to see war and other memorials in a whirlwind daylong trip.
So far, the nonprofit has flown more than 4,000 veterans to the nation’s capital. In June, Carol Wheelock, a U.S. Air Force veteran, made the trip.
Traveling to New York might allow veterans of more modern wars to see freedom memorials.
Rivera said that on the flight to New York, the veterans were surprised by a “mail call” from family and friends. This is reminiscent of mail calls while on deployment, when service members eagerly wait for letters from home.
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A water cannon salute greeted them at the airport, and airport workers and other passengers gave them a round of applause. The Port Authority Police escorted them to their hotel, which was two blocks from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Their visit to the 9/11 Memorial was especially emotional, Rivera said. Despite pouring rain, bagpipers played “Amazing Grace” and an honor guard made up of New York City firefighters gave them a solute. Old Glory Honor Flight ambassadors also laid a wreath near the memorial, which was built on the profiles of the World Trade Center’s towers 1 and 2.
The group then moved to the museum, where they heard from survivors of the collapse of the Twin Towers. One speaker, firefighter Tim Brown, was 20 feet from a tower when it collapsed. He ran into the lobby of a nearby Marriott Hotel as the tower collapsed on top of the building, and somehow survived, although he sustained serious injuries, she said.
The presenters talked about post-traumatic stress disorder, survivor’s guilt and suicide.
“They have dedicated their lives to speaking to groups about their 9/11 experiences to ensure that the day’s events are never forgotten,” Rivera said. “We all felt the presentation was humbling, impactful, moving and at times difficult to listen to. But it also provided the start of our own healing process.
“They made the powerful connection between our local public safety workers who keep us safe at home and the U.S. military who keep us safe around the world,” Rivera continued. “Our veterans took the fight to those that attacked us, while our local police officers, firefighters and emergency service workers worked tirelessly to look for survivors and maintained law and order.”
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The next day, the group visited the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center. They also ate dinner with the only living Medal of Honor recipient from the Iraq War, David Bellavia.
The crew flew back to the Appleton airport the following day and were greeted by a large group of family, friends, military groups and a live band, as is the tradition for honor flights.
“It was a trip I will never forget,” Rivera said. “To be a veteran and come together with other veterans and see these memorials and talk about experiences is really something special.”
Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gmail.com or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling or Instagram @PGPatti.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc County military veterans of Middle East wars honored in NYC
