Photo and article by Mary Alice Murphy

Honor Flight representatives, from left, Linda Widber, John Poland and Dustin Martinez.
At an Allingham-Golding American Legion Post 18 meeting on March 13, 2023, the Beat learned from Art Sierra of the Fort Bayard Disabled American Veterans Chapter 1 that the organization had been the charity of the month at The Silver City Food Co-op.

Sierra said they had received more than $1,000 from the Rounding up program, which rounds people's cash register totals up to the next dollar.

"The funds will be used locally," Sierra said. "We help people who need it such as fixing up a home that has had a fire, or food boxes that we give to the needy, or medical equipment such as a wheelchair , and it also covers transportation to people who need it for medical appointments. "

He said the chapter has a DAV van, which transports people to the Albuquerque Veterans' Administration hospital or to Las Cruces or Alamogordo for medical appointments. The transportation is completely free for veterans. "At the hospital in Albuquerque, we get breakfast and lunch."

"We are always in need of volunteers, especially drivers," Sierra said. "We also have an auxiliary in our chapter."

The meeting began with a presentation from three board members for Honor Flight, which provides free trips for veterans to visit the Armed Forces memorials in Washington, D.C. The members were Dustin Martinez, John Poland and Linda Widber.

Martinez has served as a guardian for veterans traveling.

Poland said the Honor Flight guardians help with everything from handling luggage to other care that the veterans need.

Widber is a nurse who goes through the applications for the flight and makes sure that "they are not going to die on the flight."

Martinez noted: "We take veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam to Washington D.C. We visit all the memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We, as guardians, provide care for the veterans. Each veteran is accompanied by a guardian, kind of like a chaperone for the veteran. The crew members on each flight take care of the logistics, such as transportation around the city. I've gone five times as a guardian. It's always a great experience. The veterans come back, having bonded with other veterans from New Mexico and Western Texas."

Poland said each veteran must have been honorably discharged and have a DD14. "We encourage anyone eligible to participate. If you served for instance during the Vietnam conflict, you are eligible, even if you didn't see combat. Almost to a person, when the veteran returns home, he or she says: 'I've been carrying this stuff around for 50 years, and now this was the most memorable experience in my life and has helped me come home."

"We have a flight next month and a gentleman, who is 98 years old, served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam," Poland said.

Widber said the service of the veteran must be within the years stipulated. "World War II veterans with an honorable discharge, must have served between Dec. 7, 1941 and Dec. 31, 1946. Korean War Veterans must have served between June 25, 1950 and Jan. 31, 1955. Vietnam War veterans must have served between Feb. 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975."

She noted that the flights have a waiting list of about 140, and it includes a lot of Vietnam veterans.

"I joined the organization in 2010," Wider said. "I am a Canadian, but I read about Honor Flight in the Las Cruces Sun-News about their needed volunteers, so I volunteered. I am the medical coordinator and a member of the board. I read every application and I speak to every veterans to determine their needs. We make sure we meet their needs. For the 98-year-old, we will have a guardian staying with him in his room."

She said the organization started in 2005, after the World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004. A retired Air Force Captain, who was a physician's assistant, notices that many of his World War II patients, most of them in their 80s, wanted to visit the memorial, but due to physical and logistical challenges couldn't. He was a private pilot, so he offered to personally fly one of his patients to D.C. to visit the memorial, an act met with gratitude.

In 2005, he asked fellow pilot sfor assistance, with two main conditions— veterans would pay nothing and pilots would personally accompany them throughout the day. Eleven pilots volunteered, giving birth to Honor Flight.

Widber said in 2008, several business people in Las Cruces started the Southern New Mexico and El Paso chapter.

She noted that all the expenses for the veterans are paid through donations from individuals and businesses. The guardian accompanying each veterans pays $1,000 to go with the veteran.

Each veteran does have to make a trip to Las Cruces for medical screening, including a therapist to test the veteran for balance and such. They also attend a pre-flight meeting in Las Cruces concerning the entire flight and to meet their guardians.

"We take a videographer and a photographer on the flight to record the trip," Widber said. "Every veteran gets a video after the trip. The trips bring them closure. Some say that the trip was better than years of therapy. It's a good time for them to share with other veterans and release built up stress.

"We do special ceremonies at the memorials," she continued. "At the Korean memorial, if Koreans are there, they always bow and thank the veterans for their service to save their country. It's also a time for Vietnam veterans, who were not welcomed home, to feel like they are finally welcomed home."

She said the upcoming flight on April 25, 26 and 27 is Flight 17. "We've taken 553 veterans from southern New Mexico and El Paso to D.C. "

The Honor Flight chapter covers all expenses through donations "from people who believe in our program. We have a flight planned in September, but we're not sure we have enough funds for it."

She said the flights were suspended during the pandemic, "so we're catching up and getting to applications from 2018, 2019 ad 2020. We are prioritizing World War II and Korean veterans, as well as those with life-altering diseases. We have to look at their ambulatory capability and other health conditions. Those with cancer have priority. Unfortunately, some veterans pass away before we get to take them."

"The only wives approved to accompany their husbands have to be physically able and need to take care of the veteran with their hygiene needs," Widber said. "It's mostly veteran-to-veteran.

"Raising money is probably our most difficult challenge," she said. "People can donate on our website and can print applications and watch videos. We suggest you put in your application now and get on the waiting list."

Honor Flight has 128 groups in 44 states. "We have a 100 percent star rating. Since 2005, Honor Flight has taken 295,787 veterans to D.C. We consider it a mission to honor you and your service."

Poland added that every flight has a medical provider with the group.

To donate, to become a guardian, apply to travel on a flight or just to find out more about the organization, visit https://www.honorflightnm.org/ .