Women take Honor Flight

Veterans from nearly 20 Missouri cities — including the first local female vets to make the journey — took the trip of a lifetime Thursday to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

It was the third group to participate in the Show Me Honor Flight, and the first to fly this year. The journey started at the crack of dawn, when veterans met in the Wal-Mart parking lot to assemble before boarding a bus to take them to Kansas City International Airport. They were greeted by KDRO (1490 AM) morning show host Charlie Thomas and city finance director Pam Burlingame, along with other Honor Flight crew members.

Pettis County Sheriff Kevin Bond gave the veterans a royal escort by leading the bus to the county line.
The flight was especially rewarding for Janice Foote, of Sedalia, and Winnie Warnock, of Marshall. They were the first two women to go on the Show Me flight.

“It’s kind of a dream of a lifetime ... most of us are coming to the end of that time, so for us to be able to go and see this memorial is really something,” Foote said.

Warnock was a nurse in the Navy during the war. She alternated her time between California and Virginia. She was a head nurse and was responsible for the men in her ward.

Warnock, who heard about the Honor Flight through a group of friends, said she was glad she filled out the application and considered the trip a birthday present to herself.

Veterans were greeted with cheers at the airport in Baltimore and were thanked by airport patrons for their service.

At the WWII Memorial, they were greeted by former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas and ABC-TV reporter Sam Donaldson.

Once in the memorial, the group split up. While some went to the Pacific tower, others headed straight for the Atlantic, including Sam Tuck, of Warsaw. He is a three-war veteran and was a pilot who flew 26 missions during WWII.

Though this was a whirlwind tour, Lin Harms, of Sedalia, thought it was definitely worthwhile.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. It’s better than I thought it was going to be,” Harms said.

For Bob Hare, of Lincoln, it was his first trip to Washington, D.C. He said he would have never made it to the memorial if Show Me Honor Flight didn’t exist. He doesn’t drive and would never let his wife drive in the heavy traffic.

Before he made it to the memorial, Hare said, “I’m going to look around and see everything I can see.” He enjoyed making the trip with his uncle, Herbert Hare, also of Lincoln, who is actually younger than him.

While at the memorial, several school children approached the veterans seeking information on what they did in the war.

Harms felt it meant more coming to the memorial with fellow veterans.

“We’re a part of it. We’re this memorial. There’s no getting around that,” he said.