Rhinelander married couple takes on Never Forgotten Honor Flight together
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAW) - Ninety-five veterans from central and northern Wisconsin are back home after what organizers call a “trip of a lifetime.” A married couple from Rhinelander got the chance to do it together.
A shared military history
Joyce Williams and her husband Harold, known as “Will,” each spent a little more than 22 years in the Army. Their service took them across the country.
The Never Forgotten Honor Flight is free of charge for veterans who served before 1975. The goal is to give veterans a “welcome home” that they may not have gotten after returning from service.
“The Honor Flight system is just remarkable. What they do for us and how it’s put together and organized is just great,” Harold said.
The Williamses both served during and after the Vietnam War era, like many of their fellow veterans on Monday’s flight. Joyce was one of six women honored with a trip Monday, one of the highest numbers the Never Forgotten Honor Flight has ever had.
Climbing the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
For the Rhinelander couple, climbing the 87 steps of the Lincoln Memorial marked the start of their tour around the capital.
Harold and Joyce first met in 1977 while in St. Louis on temporary assignment for the Army. They married a year later.
“The rest is history. It’s been a good life,” Harold said.
Now on the Never Forgotten Honor Flight together, after more than two decades of service each, the couple viewed the monuments and memorials built in honor of those who served and those who sacrificed.
Joyce said seeing the memorials in person made a difference.
“It’s impressive, but I think Arlington is going to be the most impressive,” Joyce said.
The group got a chance to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery later in the day.
57 missions and counting
The trip is always free for veterans. Harold said he wondered why they hadn’t taken it sooner.
“I always wondered why we didn’t do this earlier,” he said.
One of the most common reasons some veterans don’t take the trip is because they don’t feel like they deserve it. Those who took the trip this year said to do it while you can.
“I think about all the men and ladies that never got the chance, you know, to be here, and remember them,” Harold said.
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