First Lieutenant Clair Tracy served in World War II from September 1944 through March 1945. He flew 35 missions in B-17s over Germany. Tracy’s family decided this spring that a trip to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., was long overdue for the 90-year-old veteran.
Once the trip’s dates were set, Tracy’s son, Rodger, put a call into Honor Flight, an organization that invites war veterans to visit the memorial free of cost. Tracy’s family booked him on a flight arriving in D.C. on April 30 and Honor Flight took care of the rest.
MAP: 1st Lt. Clair Tracy’s Journey from Holbrook, England, to Washington, D.C.
In May of 2005, six small planes took off from Springfield, Ohio, with 12 World War II veterans on board. Three months later, with a growing wait list of veterans, Honor Flight was born. Cities all across the world now have teams working to transport local veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorial recognizing their service. According to 2008 data collected by Honor Flight, 1,000 WWII veterans are lost per day.
Richard Murphy first got involved with Honor Flight when an invitation to welcome a group of veterans to Washington, D.C., landed in his inbox. He showed up without knowing much about the event and was hooked.
Murphy now volunteers with the national organization to draw crowds to Ronald Reagan National Airport when veterans are coming to town. When Murphy got wind of Tracy’s impending trip to D.C., he rallied his troops.
The result? A group of about 50 strangers — made up of active duty members of the military, average citizens and a handful of leather-clad members from the veteran organization Rolling Thunder — showed up to DCA at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night.
When Tracy’s grandson, Christian Tracy, arrived at the airport to meet his grandfather, he was shocked by the number of volunteers already there. “I can’t believe they are all here for one veteran, my grandfather,” he said. “It truly speaks to the organization’s mission.”
After Tracy’s flight landed shortly after 11 p.m., the group cheered as he was pushed in a wheelchair from his gate. Andy Leighton, a DCA employee, played the French horn as Tracy watched the crowd in awe.
“You couldn’t ask for a better welcome,” Christian Tracy said. “He’ll never forget this. My brother and I will never forget this.”
According to Murphy, full flights of veterans can cost upwards of $100,000. The organization relies on donations to continue bringing veterans to D.C. at no cost to them. Want to help the cause? Visit HonorFlight.org to donate, or welcome the veterans to town at D.C.-area airports — check out Honor Flight’s tour schedule for more details.
