Veteran photos courtesy of
Jackson & Co.
As President of Old Glory Honor Flight, Drew MacDonald is currently in Vietnam with 52 Northeast Wisconsin veterans and a cast of support staff. He's getting paid, but it's not with money. MacDonald told WTAQ before the departure, “It's certainly going to be emotional for the organizers. We don't get paid, we're all volunteers. None of us do this for a living. So what we call our payday is being able to witness the trip through the veterans' eyes.”
This time the payback is on a grander scale. Most Old Glory Honor Flights, almost 50 of them over 10 years, are to the memorials in Washington D.C. According to MacDonald, “This brings it to a whole new level. Now we're seeing guys who are standing may be in the very footsteps of where they were back in the 1960's or 1970's. So it is absolutely going to be emotional for us as well.
SEE PHOTOS OF THE LOCAL VETERANS
What Does it All Cost?
Organizing each Honor Flight is part of the job, funding them is the other part. “This particular flight with all the participants that we have on there with the airfare and the hotels and the intercountry flights that we'll be taking, it's north of $200,000 that we needed to raise to make this flight happen,” said MacDonald. “As usual, the Northeast Wisconsin community stepped up to the plate and did a phenomenal job and we fully funded this endeavor.”
Return to Nam Old Glory Honor Flight Veterans
Can This One Be Topped?
“I don't know if I want to go there. I don't know what the future holds,” answered MacDonald when asked if the Return to 'Nam trip can be topped. This particular journey is unique. There have been no honor flight organizations that have done a flight like this where all the participants are from a particular area and are flying at no charge. It's truly stands as a first of it's kind.
However, he adds, “We like to think outsie of the box and I'm sure we'll come up with something else that will keep us cutting edge.” In the meantime, Old Glory Honor Flights to Washington D.C. keep rolling along for the organization with mission #50 coming in May.
Return to Nam Old Glory Honor Flight Veterans
