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Honor Flights Research Paper

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Local bands, home-made signs, cheers, parades and countless American flags greet the members of each Honor Flight leaving Fort Wayne, Indiana. People drive more than an hour to attend the send-off and arrival of heroes they might not even know. But it doesn’t just happen in Indiana. It’s happened in small towns and big cities all across America every month for the past several years. The last time my family and I greeted an Honor Flight at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., a group of teens with several adult chaperones approached us. “Are you here to greet the Honor Flights?” they asked excitedly. They were a senior government class that had driven two hours in order to greet whatever Honor Flights came in that morning. It was …show more content…

and most for the first time to their memorial. What strikes me each time is their matter-of-fact view of what they did. These heroes were barely old enough to drive when they went off to war, yet their unbelievable acts of heroism and valor saved the world! Without fail, they respond to my words of thanks with answers like, “I just did my duty. We all did.” “Never lose faith in America.” “It was nothing. Times were tough, and everyone did their part.” Their words of advice are always priceless: “Don’t forget to be strong and good.” “Do your duty and always honor that flag.” Saying “Thank you” is the best thing to do, and yet it seems so insufficient. As each small town holds its send-off rallies in the local high school gym or forms a welcome parade at the airport to celebrate their returning heroes, these American patriots are inspiring our nation again. They’re reminding us of simple truths unchanged by time: patriotism, faithfulness, loyalty, duty, honor, respect and commitment. They remind us of an even greater truth: America has been the great light of the world because of the goodness of our people. Alexis de Tocqueville summed it up well when he wrote, “America is great because she is good; and when America ceases to be good, she will cease to be

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