Michigan veterans visit Washington, D.C. on Honor Flight

WASHINGTON (WOOD) — Seventy-five veterans from mid-Michigan boarded an Honor Flight Tuesday morning to head to our nation’s capital, including a 106-year old who served in World War II.

The group took off from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.

Before Washington, they visited Fort McHenry in Baltimore. It’s a new stop for the mid-Michigan honor flight and is the site that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner. Some were getting emotional as they walked around the site. For many, this was their first time there.

“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that they all made the same commitment,” Vietnam veteran Norman Mosele said.

For him, the commitment is symbolized by the red, white and blue.

“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that they all made the same commitment,” he said. “Just knowing that (they were) willing to die for what it stands for. … Although I wasn’t in any combat, I was there an willing, and the guys that were there are heroes, all of them.”

They were honored to be with 106-year-old World War II veteran Robert Holt. Many of the veterans stopped to shake his hand, take pictures with him and thank him.

“Just fantastic. I was taken back the first time I learned he was 106 … My hero, believe me,” said one veteran.

“This is nice, really nice. Eighty years ago, I never thought I would be doing all of this. I was in combat, everything, machine guns, I had it all in my combat days,” said Holt.

For the rest of the night, the veterans are scheduled to have a dinner, relax and cool down — the weather was humid with a high of 79 degrees in Baltimore on Tuesday.

Wednesday, the group heads to Washington where we they will go to a number of sites, including Arlington National Cemetery, the World War II Memorial, United States Navy Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and others.

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