Blue Ridge Honor Flight: Miller gets his wish; other notables on the flight

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Blue Ridge Honor Flight founder Jeff Miller of Hendersonville has seen thousands of veterans take flights to see the war memorials in the nation's capitol, but there was one veteran in particular he had always wanted to make the trip.

Miller, 69, finally got his wish.

Miller's cousin, Robert "Bob" Miller, who served in the Vietnam War from 1966-70, made his first Blue Ridge Honor Flight on April 27. Bob Miller's guardian was Tina Lawson, who is also Jeff Miller's niece.

"She's the one who actually convinced him to finally go," Jeff Miller said on April 27 at the Asheville Regional Airport.

When Jeff Miller saw Bob Miller sitting in the terminal, they both got together and hugged.

"It was rough over there in Vietnam. I had a lot of my buddies who didn't make it back," Bob Miller said. "And then there were many guys who did make it back but ended up drinking themselves to death. I didn't let it consume me and take over my life."

Looking around at all the veterans and guardians at the Asheville Regional Airport just before the flight, Bob Miller said he couldn't believe how much the program had grown.

"It's all over the nation now. This is a great thing for veterans," he said. "Jeff's dad and his mom would be proud of him. I am."

Blue Ridge Honor Flight was started by Jeff Miller in 2005 when he had commercial planes take World War II veterans to see the war memorials in Washington, D.C. From its humble beginnings in Hendersonville, the Honor Flight Network now has 122 hubs worldwide and has taken over 300,000 veterans to D.C.

Others making the April 27 trip included a "who's who" from Western North Carolina. Below is a list of some other notables aboard the flight.

Former Citizen Times contributor Hal Hogstrom

Hogstrom, 99, is a World War II veteran who contributed opinion columns to the Asheville Citizen Times for several years. He was one of three World War II veterans aboard the flight. Hogstrom is a retired college professor.

He served in the Philippines with the U.S. Army.

Dr. Laura Leatherwood, Blue Ridge Community College president

Leatherwood went as a guardian of veteran Bill Davis. Leatherwood ended up having more duties, as she was named the leader of the Blue Team since Judge Marvin Pope, the usual leader of that team, had to cancel due to a recent surgery.

For Blue Ridge Honor Flights, there are four teams (Red, White, Blue, Gold). These are also the buses that have signs on them for each of the four teams.

Tommy Laughter, representative for Congressman Edwards

Laughter, who is now a representative for Congressman Chuck Edwards, was on board as a guardian for veteran Duane McCutchen. Laughter is the former general manager for Crooked Creek Golf Club.

"It was an honor of a lifetime to experience this moment with all these heroes and to be able to share this with Duane McCutchen topped it off," Laughter said. "To gain a new friendship with a hero is a pretty darn good life. Thanks to all who were involved."

Mark Harris, Enka High School wrestling coach

Two Gold Star Families went on the April 27 flight, including Enka High School wrestling coach Mark Harris, 50, and his father Charles Harris, 84. The brother of Charles Harris was Jerry Bruce Harris, who died in Vietnam in 1966. He was the first recorded casualty from Buncombe County in the Vietnam War.

This was the first Honor Flight for Mark Harris, who is the husband of Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer.

"What an amazing experience. It's one of the most impressive things I've been a part of," Mark Harris said.

He said his wife was also in D.C. over the weekend for the national conference of mayors and was able to meet with him and his father briefly while they were at the memorials.

Want to go?

Veterans and guardians (who can also be veterans) can apply to go on future Blue Ridge Honor Flights by filling out an application available at blueridgehonorflight.com/ . The next flight is set for Sept. 28. More information is also available by calling 828-776-0650.

More: Honor Flight's lone World War II veteran: 'I'm just proud to be here'

More: Long overdue: Female World War I veteran recognized on Veterans Day

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Blue Ridge Honor Flight: Miller gets his wish; other notables on the flight