Guardians Lucy and Heather accompanied vets Art Fishman and Marty Myers.

Heroes' Welcome

Two Jewish WWII vets touched by "Honor Flight" visit to D.C. memorial.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Art Fishman and Marty Myers, 87-year-
old buddies and friends since seventh grade
at Durfee Middle School in Detroit, have
shared many good times during their 75-year
friendship, but a trip they took together this
summer ranks among the best.
On June 24, Art and Marty were chaper-
oned on a one-day, all-expenses paid trip to
Washington, D.C., to visit our nation's WWII
Memorial courtesy of Mid-Michigan Honor
Flight. The Mecosta, Mich.-based chari-
table organization, which flies out of Grand
Rapids, joins Escanaba and Kalamazoo as
hub cities offering the service, which is part
of the larger, national Honor Flight Network.
The backstory about how Honor Flight
began is as heartwarming as the flights
themselves. The program was the brain-
child of Earl Morse, a physician assistant
and retired Air Force captain. Upon his
retirement in 1988, Earl was hired by the
Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a
Springfield, Ohio, clinic. When the national
WWII Memorial was completed in May

8

November 6 • 2014

2004, Morse asked his aging veteran patients
ters have flown nearly 100,000 WWII veter-
if they planned on visiting the landmark.
ans to see "their" memorial. Navy veterans
While many expressed interest, it became
Art Fishman and Marty Myers are proud
obvious the trip for most of the them was
to be included in this exclusive club whose
too financially or physically challenging. This members make up the very best of our
was not acceptable to Morse.
Greatest Generation.
In December 2004, Morse
Amazing Journey
asked one of his WWII veteran
patients if he would agree to let
From the onset of our conversa-
him fly him personally, at no
tion about their Honor Flight
charge, to the nation's capitol to
adventure, it was abundantly clear
see the memorial. The tear-filled
that their journey rivaled any field
response he received from the
trip they may have taken back at
gentleman, just one of many to
Durfee Middle School in 1939.
come from other vets, convinced
At the break of dawn on June
24, Art and Marty awoke and
Morse he had to act.
Alan
In the ensuing months, he
readied themselves for a 6:30
Muskovitz
enlisted other pilots to volunteer
a.m. arrival at the Gerald R. Ford
Jewish News
International Airport. While they
their services and, in May 2005,
Columnist
after enough funds were raised,
opted to stay at a local hotel the
the first Honor Flight took flight.
night before, all participating vet-
A formation of six small planes with 12 vet-
erans were offered free accommodations at a
erans took to the air that spring day. From
nearby college campus. At the official "Send
the vision of one amazing patriotic man, the
Off' the vets, wearing Honor Flight T-shirts,
Honor Flight Network was born.
were treated to breakfast and a warm wel-
Currently, commercial airlines and char-
come by well-wishers, including schoolchil-

dren. Each veteran was assigned a "guardian"
who paid their own way to escort them,
which was especially vital to the numerous
veterans who required wheelchair assistance.
With 77 WWII veterans and 91 volunteers
on board, it was wheels up for Mid-Michigan
Honor Flight's inaugural mission. Nothing
could've prepared Art and Marty for the
emotional arrival they were about to experi-
ence. Disembarking at Dulles Airport in
nearby Maryland, the veterans were greeted
by throngs of cheering people lining the
terminal. Children dressed in red, white and
blue outfits held up signs that read "God
Bless Veterans:' Boy and Girl Scouts saluted,
flags as far as the eyes could see were being
waved, people hugged and kissed their
heroes.
"I had tears of awe' Art recalled.
"It was a welcome that I never had when
I returned home from the war:' he said,
fighting back tears. "I never expected a wel-
come from so many people I had never met
before:' Art remembers one veteran being so

Heroes on page 10

