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Local US Air Force veteran, Willard Olson and his grandson, Dawson recently flew together on the U.P. Honor Flight.
Local US Air Force veteran, Willard Olson and his grandson, Dawson recently flew together on the U.P. Honor Flight.
By Nikki Mitchell
For some veterans, coming home from the war was not filled with friendly faces and cheers. In fact, for some, especially Vietnam veterans, they were welcomed with the exact opposite.
Willard Olson, a local Vietnam vet was one of those soldiers. “I was spit on,” he said.
That’s why his recent experience on the Honor Flight was so important. There were a couple thousand people greeting the veterans and their guardians when they had finished the flight and landed back in Escanaba. It helped to give them the honor and welcome home they deserved.
The U.P. Honor flight’s mission is to fly Upper Peninsula veterans who served from 1941 to May of 1975 to see the memorials that stand in their honor. The “Tour of Honor” is free to the veteran and includes airfare, meals, deluxe tour bus, t-shirt and other items.
Olson, who served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic from 1966 to 1970, flew out of Escanaba on Sept. 13 with his grandson Dawson as his guardian. Each vet is paired with a guardian who must take a three-hour training session and never leave the veteran during the duration of the trip.
“It was so memorable,” Olson said. All of the statues and memorials were so lifelike. And to see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown—just wow.”
Olson said he recognized another member of the flight and once they got talking, realized that they had served in the Air Force together in Okinawa, Japan. All this time and I never knew he was from Gwinn.”
Once the honor flight attendees reached Washington D.C., they were transported to the memorials via bus rides.
Olson remarked on how the temperature changed at the Vietnam wall. Because it’s made of a thick granite, he said the temperature felt 10 degrees hotter and you could feel the heat coming from the wall.
The honor flight had several veterans from different branches of the military, and this specific flight had a WWII veteran onboard.
“You know, people always say ‘thank you for serving our county,’ but I’m proud to do it. I’d do it again.”
While the day trip to the memorials can make for a long day with a lot to take in, Olson said he encourages any veteran who can go to go.
“I’ve flown an awful lot, but this was a flight and an honor of a lifetime.” (Submitted photos)