Veterans talk about Honor Flight experience

Monday was a day 135 area veterans will never forget.

They hopped on a plane in Omaha at 4 a.m. for the first ever all women’s Honor Flight to Washington D.C., complete with a police and motorcycle escort and an all female flight crew.

When the wheels touched down in our nation’s capitol, a welcoming party was waiting for the veterans.

Throughout the day, there would be visits to numerous memorials and monuments; including the World War II, Lincoln and Korean War Veterans Memorials.

 For Heather Stringer of Ceresco, a former Navy aircraft mechanic, the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial would be a big moment. She was on an aircraft carrier off the east coast of Africa when the attacks happened.

“When we were over there for 9/11, we didn’t really get an opportunity to mourn the way the rest of the country did. I mean we’re 17 years removed from 9/11 and there are still parts of me that it was like it just happened, so I think when we go to the Pentagon that’s going to be a closure piece for me, so that’s the part I’m dreading and looking forward to the most,” says Stringer.

For Edith Petersen, a World War II Army Nurse, the Marine Corps War Memorial holds a special place in her heart. Her husband Henry, a Navy veteran, watched the soldiers raise the U.S. flag that day at Iwo Jima.

“He was in the water on a boat and was traveling between the boat and the land, picking up injured people and carrying supplies to the island,” says Petersen.

Henry passed away just two years ago, at the age of 94.

“I wish he could’ve seen it. We’ve got a statue on our piano, just like that,” says Petersen.

For Jeannie Morehart from Hickman, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Vietnam Wall held a lot of emotions.

“Today, with the Changing of the Guard, they did a memorial service for a fallen soldier and that really hit home. When taps was played, tears automatically came down my eyes. That just tore to my heart and I have two friends that are on the wall here, and that’s going to tear me up when I go over to see the wall,” says Morehart.

All of the women had incredible stories, like Angela Naiman, of Hebron, who shared with me why she decided to join the military.

“The deciding factor for me to go was I had an older brother that had been there and returned home safely. While he was over there the whole time, I kept thinking, with me being a nurse if something were to happen to him, I thought, I want to be there to help, so I volunteered,” says Naiman.

Even with all the breathtaking sights and first time experiences, the support from the community, and family and friends meant the most to these women, including two veterans from Lincoln.

“My last deployment I went through a divorce, and when I came home, I was with a very small unit, and I was the only person, sorry, that didn’t have people there when we came home. Being able to do this and then have my family there waiting for me today is going to be really exciting,” says Nicole Boyer, Army Reserves. 

“Another memorable moment we had when we were at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, a girl probably about 11-years-old, came up to us crying and she just said, I just want to thank you so much for your service. It just felt great,” says Christa Wilhelm, Army National Guard. 

That support continued as the women arrived back in Omaha Monday evening. Many people were very eager to thank some of the women who stand up for our freedoms.