Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
On Saturday, April 23 five veterans from Swain County returned home after going on the first Blue Ridge Honor Flight since 2019. The flight took veterans of WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam War to memorials and monuments all over Washington, DC.
For some, like local Vietnam Veteran Max Cochran, the return to Asheville Regional Airport was the welcome home they never got from the war.
“I was asked to go a few years ago and it kept getting postponed because of the pandemic so I had decided I wasn’t going, and my family talked me into it,” Cochran said.
He said that he was nervous to get on the plane and was hit by nostalgia as he stepped inside.
“I was sitting on the plane in the same place I was sitting when we shipped out for Vietnam, so that really hit me,” Cochran said.
He said it was awesome getting to see the Vietnam, WWII, WWI, Marine, and Lincoln memorials as well as the Washington Monument and other famous landmarks.
“The greatest thing was the welcome home,” Cochran said. “When we came home from Vietnam people were calling us names and spitting on us and here there were about 2000 people cheering for us.”
Eighteen of Cochran’s family was waiting for him at the airport.
“When I came home from the war back in 1969, my wife was holding my 9-month-old daughter who was born while I was deployed, and this time my darling wasn’t there to welcome me but my daughter was holding my great grandson and it really brought back memories.”
Don Moon from Swain County also went on the Blue Ridge Honor Flight, an opportunity he had originally turned down twice before due to family health reasons, but this time his family talked him into going on this once in a lifetime opportunity.
“My family urged me to go this time and it was a wonderful trip. I don’t know why I ever turned it down,” Moon said.
Moon is a Vietnam Veteran and said the trip is something he will never forget.
“It was such a humbling honor, and I took a bunch of pictures,” he said. “The Vietnam Wall was my favorite memorial that we saw. It would jerk the tears right out of you.”
There were many people waiting at the airport for the return, and Moon said there were even some politicians there like Chuck Edwards and Matthew Burrill.
Jack Webb of Swain County said that the honor flight was the greatest trip he had ever taken.
“It was one of the highlights of my life,” Webb said. “It was a wonderful trip.”
Webb said that the Vietnam Wall was what the majority of the veterans were looking to see, and he said it was a very special moment seeing it in person. He was also selected two years ago, but due to Covid, the trip kept getting postponed.
“My good friend Arthur Wade was also selected but he passed during Covid, before he got to go,” Webb said.
He said he would like to thank the people from Honor Flight, who did such a great job planning out their itinerary.
The veterans were welcomed on their way to Washington, D.C. in the Baltimore airport by a motorcycle group and got a police escort into the city.
Ernie Panther, who lives in Cherokee, said it was a lovely trip and it was difficult to decide what his favorite part was.
“I am retired from the US Air Force, so I had actually been the memorials several times but the area around them has changed quite a bit since then,” Panther said. “I really like the Vietnam Wall and the World War II memorials.”
Panther has traveled worldwide and was even a participant in John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.
David DeHart, another Vietnam Veteran and Swain County resident was also chosen two years ago but had to wait until after the pandemic.
“When I was notified back in March, I was very excited,” DeHart said. “We toured the Vietnam Wall, it was an unreal, emotional moment. There are six people from Swain County who died in the war, and I got pictures of their names on the statue.”
DeHart also said seeing the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery was an extraordinary experience.
“Coming back, we had a line of very nice folks greeting us and shaking our hand when we made it back to Asheville.”
Blue Ridge Honor Flight is already planning another trip for next year. To apply visit https://www.blueridgehonorflight.com/apply-now.html.
Based in Asheville, Blue Ridge Honor Flight is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission of transporting America’s Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honor them. Begun in 2005, the organization flies Veterans from the Asheville and Greenvill airports 2-3 times a year. The organization relies on the generous donations of businesses and individuals to make these trips possible.