‘I’d recommend the Honor Flight to anybody’

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

April 16 was a noteworthy day for Keith Swearingen of West Union, Ohio, as he joined other area veterans in “one more mission” on the Honor Flight Tri-State. His is the second in our series on honoring those who have served and remembering those we have lost.

The Honor Flight organization offers a flight for veterans to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C. “All World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans aged 65 and older, who served either stateside or overseas, are eligible.”

Swearingen’s brother Wendall completed the Flight in October 2023, representing a veteran of the Korean Conflict. Keith’s military experience was a bit different. He attended Ohio State University in 1970 during the Vietnam War. He explained that many colleges were demonstrating, and colleges in Ohio ended up closing for a month after the Kent State shooting.