Queen City Honor Flight.

[Berkman]

Glad we have an open date on Sat so I won't miss any game.

I will be going on the Queen City Honor Flight from Charlotte to Washington DC for the day. Honor flights originate from many cities throughout the country and there will be 10 flights going to DC on Sat. They have been running them for several years from Charlotte and I applied to go on one several years ago. They were suspended during COVID and are restarting now. There were several openings on the flight and I applied and got accepted.

So on Sat morning we get to the airport between 6 - 6:30 AM and go to a special check in area. There we are greeted by an honor guard and go to a special table set up for us to check in. There we are given a colored lanyard to match the bus we will go on, 4 buses there for us, and we get a golf style shirt with the Queen City Logo for identification. We have special TSA gate to go through to get to our flight gate. They will have a light breakfast for us and we take off around 7 AM on a chartered flight carrying 180 vets and guardians for those who need them. Also will have wheel chairs for those who need them. When we get to DC we will board the buses and go to Arlington to witness the changing of the guard. We will have a police escort for the whole day. After Arlington we will visit the various military sites there. We will have a lunch served mid day.

We will finish up by going to the Pentagon. We will have a supper of chicken pot pies before we fly back to Charlotte arriving around 7:30 PM. We will have water and drinks and snacks for us on the buses.

All this is at NO charge to us. I was considered a Cold War Veteran being in from July 55 to July 59. From 1948 to 1990 the period was known as the cold war period. The Korean War and Vietnam wars we so designated for their period vets.

We have a coffee shop, Richards Coffee Shop and Veterans Museum in downtown Moresvile NC.On Thursday we have a free coffee meeting and usually have 130 vets there. The museum has displays from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan and we are full to the brim with stuff. If any of you are in the Mooresville area I would highly recommend that you come to visit us. We are open from 8 -1 every day except Sun. On Sat there are a bunch of vet musicians that play for several hours.

[harbo]

Thanks for your service. Well done, sir. You should enjoy all the stops on your itinerary. Arlington is particularly sobering. Pretty cool that they are doing this for the veterans.
I always like telling my story that Mr. Nixon officially ended the draft on my nineteenth birthday. Vietnam was winding down and my lottery birthdate was in the mid 200's, so there was not much of a chance of getting drafted anyway.

So I wind up making maps for the military for some three decades and hopefully helped out some of our fighting men and women.

[LouMass]

Sounds like a wonderful day planned. Thank you for shattering and thank you for serving.

[TruBluMaroon]

Have been to Arlington a few times for the Changing of the Guard and while everyone should be aware of the solumn nature of the site, on more than one occasion, one of the sentries has announced in a loud , direct voice reminding the public of their responsibility to be quiet at all times. Pretty impressive!
Thank you for your service!

[SignMan]

Thank you for your service, friend...

Living very close to Devens, where the Reserves still function on the old Army Base, I run into uniforms quite often, and never hesitate to thank them for their Service.

They have a Military museum there, as well as a small War Memorial area @ one corner of the quite large old Parade Grounds, Rogers Field; used mostly now for athletic events. Rogers can host at least 10 Lax games at the same time during the summer, into the Fall. Just this morning, a Vet friend of mine with the Devens DPW was hauling a trailer with several lax goals from games this past weekend.

This summer, I stopped to read the names on a granite marker, of vets who trained there, then gave their lives in wartime.

I found the name of my cousin, Sydney Shapiro, also from Everett, who was lost at sea in the South Pacific, WWII, before I was born.
The neighborhood playground where I grew up and shot hoops, is named after him.

[mdogt12]

Have friends going from Boston. Have a great time.

[Berkman]

There will be 10 Honor Flights from 10 different cities on Sat.

[Jack]

Semper Fi Berkman.I hope that you have a great visit to DC.

[UMassRed]

Cheers and kudos from a Navy vet 68-72!

[UMass'96]

Same from a Ranger / Army vet, 88-91, 92-2013.

And Signman, I lived at Ft. Devens for a time in the late 80's when my father was stationed there. It's quite amazing to see the transformation over the years. I've actually jumped (airborne) on the still active training side of Devens and spent many cold nights sleeping on the ranges in the snow...

[capezona]

Same from an Army vet 1967-69 (Vietnam). Have a great time.

[vanmeter]

Congrats to you Berkman. You earned this special day.

In addition appreciate all other posters who served their country. I was a 6 year National Guardsman. The Army was happy once my 6 year term was over.

[capezona]

Congrats to you Berkman. You earned this special day.

In addition appreciate all other posters who served their country. I was a 6 year National Guardsman. The Army was happy once my 6 year term was over.

Ha! You and me both. I think the Army was very happy when all the draftees matriculated out.

[ZooMass84]

Thank you for your service, friend...

Living very close to Devens, where the Reserves still function on the old Army Base, I run into uniforms quite often, and never hesitate to thank them for their Service.

They have a Military museum there, as well as a small War Memorial area @ one corner of the quite large old Parade Grounds, Rogers Field; used mostly now for athletic events. Rogers can host at least 10 Lax games at the same time during the summer, into the Fall. Just this morning, a Vet friend of mine with the Devens DPW was hauling a trailer with several lax goals from games this past weekend.

This summer, I stopped to read the names on a granite marker, of vets who trained there, then gave their lives in wartime.

I found the name of my cousin, Sydney Shapiro, also from Everett, who was lost at sea in the South Pacific, WWII, before I was born.
The neighborhood playground where I grew up and shot hoops, is named after him.

I was in the reserves at ft devens in the 80's.

[ZooMass84]

Same from a Ranger / Army vet, 88-91, 92-2013.

And Signman, I lived at Ft. Devens for a time in the late 80's when my father was stationed there. It's quite amazing to see the transformation over the years. I've actually jumped (airborne) on the still active training side of Devens and spent many cold nights sleeping on the ranges in the snow...

Army Ranger!!!!