SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 | 5A
ed with veterans
capital right be-
that she got to
fore she began her
graduate, just like Waggoner’s help push in their
senior year at Siu-
grandma.
wheelchairs
or
slaw.
“I figured out that I had guide
through
“What inspired
connections there that I didn’t some of the sites.
me to come back
The trip gave
even know,” Waggoner said.
in my senior year
The Honor Flight landed in Waggoner
a
and plan the Vet-
D.C. on Friday and left on Sun- unique view of
erans Assembly
day. Much of the tour revolved veterans visiting
was seeing an
around visits to monuments important sites to
Honor
Flight
and memorials, including the them, their fami- Some of the memorials were especially poignant, including the Vietnam group at the
National Mall, World War II lies and those who Veterans Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (courtesy photos) WWII
Memo-
Museum, Vietnam Veterans never returned from combat. erans, some people just said, who owns The Mustard Seed rial,” Waggoner said. “To see
“There were three WWII ‘Welcome home.’ There were in Florence, coordinated the that many WWII veterans was
Memorial, Lincoln Memorial,
Korean War Veterans Memo- veterans on our trip. They instant tears for everybody. creation of dozens of letters for incredible. I don’t think I real-
rial, Franklin Delano Roos- were sort of slouched down Because for them, it truly is a the veterans.
ized at the time how many we
evelt Memorial and the Martin in their wheelchairs, but as welcome home, and a time of
“Seeing them open their still had. That was one of the
Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
soon as they saw the WWII healing and remembrance,” mail, piece by piece and real- most prominent things that
Waggoner joined other memorial, instantly they were Waggoner said.
ly reading each one, brought stood out from that experi-
The Honor Flight also vis- tears to not only their eyes, but ence before my senior year.”
people, called guardians, who all stick straight in their seats,”
ited Arlington National Cem- people watching them,” Wag-
helped each of the attending she said.
While the pandemic has
Some of the locations were etery, where the Honor Flight goner said.
veterans. Some of them were
prevented the assembly from
also from western Lane Coun- especially moving, including witnessed the changing of the
The trip also featured the happening in recent years,
ty.
the “Wall that Heals,” the Viet- guard at the Tomb of the Un- Marine Corps Memorial, Na- Waggoner’s siblings, sopho-
“It was only 48 hours, but nam Veterans Memorial Wall. known Soldier.
tional Museum of the Army, mores this year, are working
“That is always very pow- Air Force Memorial, Disabled on planning the assembly this
“Our Vietnam veterans
we got attached because we
spent that much time togeth- didn’t have the welcome home erful. We actually had a few Veterans of America Memori- year.
er just over those two days,” that they deserved to have. people who were able to do al, Women In Military Service
“I’m excited that they’re
Waggoner said.
Right after we did a group a wreath laying ceremony, For America Memorial and going to continue that on,
In particular, she connect- picture of all the Vietnam vet- which is quite an honor for the the US Navy Memorial.
because it’s super important
people that get to go out there
Living in D.C., Waggoner is when you have a communi-
and
interact
with
the
guards
at
able
to visit the National Mall ty that has so many veterans
BACKED BY A YEAR-ROUND
the
tomb,
”
Waggoner
said.
often,
and she likes to go there like we do to be able to con-
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students, thank the veterans ways said Washington, D.C.,”
Even with her history de-
for their service and honor she said.
gree, she said she learned so
them. Locally, Deb Bogart,
She first visited the nation’s much on this trip.
“Any veterans out there, I
would encourage you to talk
to these veterans about their
experience going. You know,
I haven’t served, so I can’t
speak from that perspective,
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but I think it is really transfor-
mational for people. I didn’t
speak with a single veteran
that regretted going. And I
think it can be a really healing
and really neat experience, es-
pecially if you get to go with a
guardian, someone close with
you in your life.”
The South Willamette Val-
ley Honor Flight works with
veterans in Benton, Lane,
Lincoln and Linn counties by
taking them to Washington,
D.C., to experience their me-
morials. These can be veter-
ans who served between the
beginning of WWII and the
end of the Vietnam War, Dec.
7, 1941, to May 7, 1975. Cur-
rently, flight priority is given
to WWII, Korean War and
terminally ill veterans.
Veterans travel at no cost
because of the generous sup-
port of individuals, business-
es and civic organizations.
Guardians who attend need
to fundraise their trips.
“Everybody there that
volunteered their time real-
ly went because they cared,”
Waggoner said. “It didn’t mat-
ter who you were or where
you were from, they wanted
to make that experience the
best they could for you.
“If anyone out there would
like to volunteer as a guard-
ian, they can always use more
people. It’s an experience
I’m going to remember for
the rest of my life. And if I
have another opportunity to
go, I will do it. No questions
asked.”
People can learn more
about the Honor Flight at
www.swvhonorflight.org.
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Call
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Living on Shaky Ground:
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We are open and
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