Miller, Whitmore take Honor Flight

Two more veterans have joined the list of Custer County residents who have taken the Midwest Honor Flight, as both Darrell Whitmore and Paul Miller flew out of Sioux Falls May 6, with Whitmore calling it “probably the most outstanding day of my life.”
Honor Flight Network is a national nonprofit organization comprised of independent hubs working together to achieve the Honor Flight mission, which is to celebrate America’s veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at the nation’s memorials in Washington, D.C.
During the one day event, Miller, Whitmore and many other Vietnam veterans or Vietnam-era veterans were flown from Sioux Falls to Washington, D.C., and back again.
Whitmore served in the Army from 1967-69, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant and heading up a riverboat operation in the Mekong Delta for the Ninth Infantry Division. Miller served in Vietnam in the Marine Corps, which he served in from 1968-72.
Whitmore said he had wanted to go on the Honor Flight for a long time, saying he had hear other veterans say how special it was for them to go. Both he and Miller applied to be on the flight, which is now extending to Vietnam veterans.
The flight left Sioux Falls around 4 a.m., with Whitmore saying it was “almost overwhelming” how much the group did in a single day, including going to all the aforementioned memorials as well as places such as Arlington National Cemetery. Whitmore called Arlington his favorite part of the trip.
“That was quite a humbling, somber experience,” he said, saying the group was adjacent to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “The cemetery itself was just incredible.”
As for his favorite part, Miller said it was “the whole thing.”
Each veteran on the honor flight is assigned a “guardian,” who escorts the veteran on an Honor Flight, helping with any physical assistance needed, ensuring they are hydrated and helping with any other things their veteran made need. Ironically, Miller’s guardian was a nurse from Miller.
Whitmore called the event a “well-oiled machine,” saying it wasn’t not a cadillac event, but rather, a “Mercedes Benz” event.
“Our guides were very experienced, knowledgeable people. We were greeted every place we went,” he said. “We were very well received everywhere we went.”
Miller echoed that sentiment, saying children would come up to the veterans—who were easily recognized by their Honor Flight T-shirts—and thank them for their service. The patriotism choked Miller up, he said.
Whitmore called that part of the experience healing.
“Everyone I talked to felt the same way,” he said. “It was a special day for Vietnam veterans. When we came home (during the Vietnam War), we came home to a very divided country. This was our welcoming that all veterans should receive when they come home from a war zone.”
In addition to Arlington National Cemetery, Whitmore said the Vietnam Memorial, of course, was a special part of the visit. The same is true for Miller, who made it a point to seek out the names of the Custer County men who died in the war.
After a whirlwind day of sightseeing and patriotism the group flew back to Sioux Falls where around 400 people were waiting to give them a hero’s welcome and thank them. The veterans were given a medal and an “Honorable Discharge” from the Midwest Honor Flight.
Whitmore said any veteran who has the opportunity to go on the flight should do so.
“I talked to veterans on the flight who said they did not want to go but were pressured by children or other veterans so they decided to go, and they all remarked it ranked right up there as one of the most special days in their lives,” he said. “Everyone should go.”
You can learn more about the Honor Flight, including how to apply to attend, by visiting midwesthonorflight.org.