Veterans saw the World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Military Women’s Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Navy Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial, plus celebrations, military escorts and bands playing for the U.P. veterans.

“It is a full day,” said Leslie Srnka of Spalding, a Air Force veteran from 1959-1980.

“I think it is a tremendous thing when you think of all the money spent,” Srnka said. “Even more so than that is the number of volunteers who were involved … It is pretty impressive.”

Veterans were celebrated when they departed Delta County Airport, when they arrived in Dulles International Airport in Virginia, when they left and finally arrived back in Delta County.

Jason Viau, at right, and his father Russ Viau stroll through the many military memorials in Washington, D.C. thanks to the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight. (Antonio Anderson | Mining Journal)

Many of the veterans who attended hadn’t been back to Washington D.C. since they served, and many thought they would not return.

“A lot of these veterans spent three or four years serving and didn’t have the opportunity to visit these memorials until now,” said Srnka’s guardian, daughter and fellow Air Force veteran of six years, Wendy Sexton.

Jason Viau of Munising was the guardian to his father, Russ Viau, two proud Marines who started a long family tradition to serve in the Corps.

“It’s myself, my brother, my son, two grandkids and one who is a Navy medic assigned to a squad of Marines,” Russ Viau said.

While reminiscing at the Iwo Jima memorial, Jason Viau, who served from 1996-2001, spoke on his experience in the Marine Corps.

“Got to go to Kuwait and I have been all over the world,” Jason Viau said. “I have lost a lot of friends. My team was the first casualties of the Iraq War, March 21 of 2003. They went down in a helicopter. My entire crew.”

The 12-member crew flying a CH-46 helicopter in Kuwait went down, killing all passengers, including eight British Military personnel and four American Marines. The first coalition fatalities of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pentagon officials said back in 2003. Operation Iraqi Freedom would claim 4,814 more coalition lives during the conflict.

Being on this Honor Flight has inspired Jason Viau to further spread the story of his friends.

“I’ll be on one of these honor flights one day and I will remember them,” Jason Viau said. “I think it is good to be out here for that camaraderie, just to be around other vets and to remember things. Especially if you are one and you lost friends.”

Many veterans also found challenging memories when they came to the memorials.

“I am not excited to go to the Vietnam Memorial,” one veteran said. “When I served there I was lucky and got out, but my buddies who had to stay in the surgery center… I don’t know about them.”

Yet the trip overall brought a sense of relief to many of the attendees, as many found themselves tearing up or crying.

“Honor Flight has a way of making people cry,” said Scott Knauf, the president of the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight. “We just normally blame it on allergies … but it’s okay to cry. It’s healing for you.”

Those looking to apply for an upcoming U.P. Honor Flight can go to the website at www.uphonorflight.org/applications.

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Antonio Anderson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550, or aanderson@miningjournal.net.