When John Person of Wichita boarded a 737 in June at Eisenhower National Airport, he had several surprises awaiting him.
Person, who served in the Air Force from 1971-1993, arrived in Washington, D.C., on an all-expense-paid charter flight with
more than 100 other military veterans.
They were part of the 13-year-old Kansas Honor Flight program. Since its inception, more than 4,400 veterans from World War II, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War have visited memorial sites in the nation’s capital.
Lavonna Schlageck, who coordinates the schedules and flights for the veterans, also asks four veterans to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. “I get a good feeling about a veteran,” she said before she chooses. Person said he was surprised when Schlageck asked him to lay the wreath but “jumped at the chance.”
The wreath itself also has a Kansas connection. Neal Johnson, a former Colby, Kan., resident and retired Army colonel who lives in Virginia, makes the wreaths for the Kansas flights. Using grapevine from a vineyard he owns, he adds a small Kansas sunflower to the top of it.
What Person also didn’t expect when he arrived at the tomb was meeting his nephew, Derek Person, who’d been alerted by John’s wife, Kathy. He hadn’t seen him in 30 years. “That was a personal highlight,” Person said.
Returning to Wichita, Person was among the group of veterans greeted by cheering family and friends. There was one more surprise for him: In addition to his wife, their daughter, Kristin, and grandchildren came from Topeka to welcome him back and thank him for his service.
Why was it important for him to go on the Kansas Honor Flight? “To pay homage to those guys who died,” he said.
For more information about Kansas Honor Flight, go to kansashonorflight.org
Tom Schaefer is a former editor and columnist at The Wichita Eagle. Contact him at tomary70@cox.net.
