Honor Flight trip Mission No. 7 returns home Sunday

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL)—Local veterans who participated in an Honor Flight trip returned home on Sunday, marking the completion of Mission No. 7 for the Honor Flight of the Appalachian Highlands.

Michelle Stewart, President of Honor Flight of the Appalachia, spoke with News Channel 11 about new additions to the trip.

“We have started a program where we are doing an in-memory honor flight trip,” Stewart said. “We will take a couple of veterans photos each honor flight trip, and they are veterans that were either killed in action or have passed away before they were given their honor flight trip. So we still take the opportunity to honor them and to say thank you to their family and just to take them along to show them that their service mattered and that even though they may have passed, they’re not forgotten.”

Local Korean and Vietnam War veterans traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials and socialize with cadets at the Virginia Military Institute. The trip included visits to Bedford and Arlington, among other places in Virginia.

Marvin Shelton, Honor Flight participant, said he “can’t say enough good things about [the trip]”.

“Well, it was it was awesome to see the wall and to see a Korean wall of Vietnam wall and just the military stuff. And it’ll bring you down, and along with you, I’ll tell you that right now. But it was great. It was a great experience. And I would do it again.”

Local veterans describe the Honors Flight trip as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.