Saturday's Honor Flight Taking WWII Veterans To Washington

HIGHFILL -- Twenty-four sets of eyes stared intently at Julius Russell as he fought back tears while recounting his role in the June 6, 1944, D-Day battle at Omaha Beach.

"It was hell," the World War II Navy veteran told fourth-graders from Jones Elementary School in Springdale. "I've never seen anything like it. No one had seen anything like it."

The D-Day Museum reports there were about 2,000 causalities at Omaha Beach that day.

Russell brought a black-and-white framed photograph of his ship with him Thursday to Tyson Aviation, near the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. He and Army veteran Forrest Strickler will help kick off events before Saturday's Arkansas Honor Flight, a one-day free trip to Washington to visit memorials, specifically the World War II Memorial.

The men took part in earlier flights and wanted to share their memories of the trip and of fighting in the war.

Arkansas Honor Flight's 11th and final trip is Saturday and will transport 82 World War II veterans by charted plane to the nation's capital. Counting this last group, the program served more than 900 veterans since its inception in 2009.

The students were at Thursday's event to deliver letters they wrote to the veterans. The veterans will read the letters on their return flight Saturday, but a few students read their notes to Russell and Strickler.

"Thank you. You inspire me to work hard and never give up," Gilberto Gordillo said.

"Thank you for fighting for our freedom. I hope you have a wonderful time," Karen Morales said.

Gordillo said history is his favorite school subject and he enjoyed hearing first-hand accounts of the war.

"It was very interesting to hear about how things were," he said. "It's also very sad."

The National World War II Memorial opened to the public April 29, 2004, nearly 60 years after the war's end.

"It's a shame it took so long to get the monument done. If they had this done in the 1950s, they could have gone on their own, and we probably wouldn't even be doing this," said Bill McKenzie, director of aviation for Tyson and organizer of all 11 of the state's flights.

McKenzie said the honor flights have special meaning for him: He spent four years in the Navy, and his father was a World War II veteran.

"My dad was a vet, but he never got to see this monument. He died before it was built," he said.

Retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, Walmart's senior director of military programs, has the same story: His father was a World War II veteran who died before seeing the memorial.

"This is a passion for me. It's very personal," he said. "I like to think of these flights as Memorial Day for these veterans."

Donations from Tyson Foods and Walmart pay for the bulk of each trip, which generally run between $65,000 and $66,000, McKenzie said. He said Saturday's trip will cost about $85,000 because they are chartering a larger plane so more people can go.

Each veteran is accompanied by someone to help them throughout the day, often a family member or friend. McKenzie said each guardian pays $400.

He said this is Arkansas Honor Flight's last trip because the number of World War II veterans is quickly shrinking, and they have gone through all 1,100 applications they received in the past five years.

"Those who haven't gone on the trip have either moved, died or gone through another hub," he said. "We just don't have any more veterans to take."

The National WWII Museum reports there are 11,173 living World War II veterans in Arkansas. The museum reports about 555 of these veterans die each day across the country.

Russell is 91 years old and went on his Honor Flight in 2011. He said the best part of the trip for him was a surprise visit to Arlington National Cemetery where his son is buried. It was his only trip to his son's grave.

"I put flowers on my son's grave, and I cried," he said.

Irene Russell, his wife, said their son was a Vietnam veteran who died in 2008. She didn't make the Honor Flight trip with her husband but said getting to her son's grave is on her "bucket list."

The Honor Flight Network is a national nonprofit organization that started in 2005. The national organization is based in Springfield, Ohio, and local groups have created "hubs" across the country.

Arkansas Honor Flight is the state's only group. Four of the 11 flights have been out of Little Rock and seven out of Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.

McKenzie said the group will receive a hero's welcome when they land at Reagan National Airport in Washington and again when they return to Northwest Arkansas.

He invited the public to the airport at 7:45 p.m. Saturday to take part in a reception honoring the veterans.

"A lot of these guys didn't get a ticker-tape parade when they came back," he said. "Coming to the reception is a great way to show these veterans your support and say thank you."