Well, for the 8th time, the Central and Southwest Virginia
Honor Flight is taking 15 Vietnam Veterans to the nation's
capital for the trip of a lifetime.
These veterans are getting a chance to see the memorials
built in their honor while also getting their overdue recognition.
WFXR Sports Director Jermaine Farrell has the story.
Of course it is April.
It is Honor Flight time and such a special time
for the veterans as well as the guardians and everyone
that put this together,
the entire support staff of the central and Southwest Virginia
Honor Flight.
But there's a unique twist for one of the veterans
that is here.
In fact Bill Rhodes, he has been a guy.
There have been 8 honor fights.
This is #8. He has taken part in his seventh
Honor Flight,
6 of those honor fights.
Previously he was a Guardian and now he gets the
spoils and the opportunity to participate as a veteran.
It's different. I mean, I feel different.
I felt like when I was a guardian,
you had to be a guardian.
You know, I had veterans to take care of,
and now I'm the veteran to take care of,
you know, I guess.
And I'm happy about that.
I'm happy to be here as a veteran,
finally. And Bill definitely understands all the things that goes
into putting together the Honor Flight.
And he has a greater appreciation,
not only as a previous guardian,
but also as a veteran.
Coming here to the VFW and actually being received as
a veteran.
As special, and I'm looking forward to that tonight.
At the American Legion, and I'm looking forward to it
tomorrow,
wherever we go tomorrow, to have that on my badge.
To get the orange shirt tomorrow.
So yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
So Bill and the rest of the veterans are looking
forward to a lot of good things coming your way,
as we'll have a lot of good stuff here covering
the Honor Flight,
honoring these 15. Military veterans,
they all are Vietnam era veterans.
They're going to be excited about what they're going to
see coming ahead tomorrow,
visiting all the landmarks and everything there.
We're reporting from the Honor Flight Central Southwest Virginia style.
Jermaine Farrell, WFXR News.