14 local veterans take a virtual Honor Flight

By MARK MILLER

When veterans cannot go on an Honor Flight, the Honor Flight goes to the veterans.

A volunteer crew from Honor Flight Northeast Indiana was in Bluffton Wednesday morning giving virtual tours to veterans. The event was held at Christian Care Retirement Center with 14 veterans in attendance, ranging from 99-year-old World War II veteran Darrell Gilbert to Vietnam veteran Mike Chamness.

This group of veterans were honored Wednesday morning and given a virtual Honors Flight tour of the “memorials to you,” as stated by Honor Flights Northeast Indiana volunteer Cam Moore. Seated, from left: Roger Eymer, Earl Gerber, Les Meyer, Tom Smith, Keith Fuller, and Al Ringger. Standing: Mike Chamness, Jerry Petzel, Walter Erxleben, Darrell Gilbert, Tom Stephen, Frank Howel, Chuck Stevens, John Meyer. (Photos by Mark Miller)

“We’ll be doing one at River Terrace as well in the near future,” Cam Moore, a retired Auburn pharmacist who led the group of about a half-dozen volunteers.

Mark Linder, right, interviews Dr. Walter Erxleben about his service in Vietnam. As part of the Northeast Indiana Honor Flights event, each veteran’s attendance — and a brief history of their service — goes on file for future reference. In the background, two other veterans are either preparing for or watching the virtual experience.

The northeast Indiana chapter of Honor Flight has now completed 37 flights since its first trip in May 2009. The virtual tours were first offered as an alternative for veterans who could not physically make the trip “about 10 years ago,” Moore said. 

“Of course, we had to shut down for COVID and we lost about two years,” he continued. “And in that process, about 50 veterans who had signed up for a flight died and never got this honor. So we want to do everything we can to honor these veterans including those who cannot go or choose not to go.”

World War II veteran Darrell Gilbert may not look like it, but he’s enjoying a virtual tour of the World War II Memorial in Washington DC. The “tours” are provided by the northeast Indiana chapter of Honor Flights. A crew of volunteers were at Christian Care Retirement Center Wednesday morning to honor 14 Bluffton veterans and provide the virtual experience. (Photos by Mark Miller)

The virtual tours utilize headsets that provide an introduction by actor Gary Sinise, interviews with veterans on a trip and a 360-degree visual of the monuments that the actual tours include: The World War II, Korean and Vietnam memorials inanition to visits to the U.S. Marines Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The event at Christian Care Wednesday — which Moore said was the largest group he’d made a virtual tour presentation to — included a packet for each veteran with a hand-made pillowcase and other items donated to the organization to honor veterans.

Honor Flights Northeast Indiana volunteer Mary Moore, herself a veteran, assists Chuck Stevens with getting his virtual headset ready.

Honor Flight Northeast Indiana has been in a “catch-up mode” since COVID restrictions were lifted, Moore shared. Three Honor Flights were completed this spring and three more are scheduled for this fall. Veterans get take the one-day trip from Fort Wayne to Washington D.C. at no cost thanks to private donations; each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer escort who pays for their flight.

While initially focused on honoring World War II veterans, the flights now focus on Korean, Vietnam and now the Gulf War veterans.

“So in addition to those flights,” Moore said, “the volunteers want to give all veterans the opportunity to be honored by their service. Almost all of these veterans cannot go on the trip due to their health or have chosen not to at this point. If they choose to go later, they are more than welcome.”

John Meyer, a Korean War veteran and now a Christian Care resident, had been able to go on an Honor Flight trip in 2017. Perhaps best known for his years of working at Masterson’s Menswear, Meyer, who will be 90 in a few months, was appreciative of Wednesday’s programs.

“It was a wonderful trip, and this was pretty good,” he said. “It certainly reminded me of the trip and brought back good memories.”

Veterans honored Wednesday morning, their branch of service and era were: Chuck Stevens, Marine Corps, Korean War; John Meyer, Army Medical Corps, Korea; Tom Smith, Marine Corps, Vietnam; Jerry Petzel, Air Force, Vietnam; Roger Eymer, Army, Vietnam; Earl Gerber, Army Medical Corps, Korea; Darrell Gilbert, Army Air Corps, World War II; Walter Erxleben, Army Medical Corps, Vietnam; Tom Stephen, Navy, Iraq; Frank Howel, National Guard, Vietnam; Keith Fuller, Army, Korea; Mike Chamness, Army, Vietnam; Al Ringger, Army, Korea; and Les Meyer, Army, Korea.

miller@news-banner.com

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR