Henry Jackson
I have never written to any publication before. However, my recent experience of having been chosen to go on a Last Frontier Honor Flight on Oct. 11 from Anchorage to Washington, D.C., on a five-day trip at no cost to the veteran has compelled me to do so.
My name is Henry Jackson, 87 years old, a Vietnam veteran who has lived in Alaska for more than 50 years. The Last Frontier Honor Flight is an organization that takes veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam to visit war memorials, museums and historical sites. Each veteran is assigned a guardian to take care of all the veteran’s needs. I was lucky enough to have my son-in-law
Mike Lundvall as my guardian.
My memory won’t allow me to name all the unforgettable experiences I had. Most of us Vietnam veterans did not receive a favorable welcome home from Vietnam, to say the least. However, the love, compassion, care and understanding given us on this trip was beyond description.
For myself at least, it erased lots of bad memories. Thanks to everyone involved for that. After all these years, it was very meaningful to have total strangers, little schoolchildren, veterans’ organizations, TSA agents, law enforcement agencies and ordinary everyday people applaud us, shake our hands and simply say, “Thank ou.”
A special thanks to Alaska Airlines. Several days after this event, I still get emotional and choked up. I don’t recall the names; however, thanks so very much to all the people involved. I encourage all veterans to contact Last Frontier Honor Flight for
info.
— Henry Jackson Wasilla