More than 100 local veterans and volunteers traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of Kern County’s Honor Flight, giving many participants a first-time chance to visit the nation’s capital and its military memorials.
Glenn Stark, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, was among those making the trip to Washington for the first time. Stark said he wanted to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to find the name of the man who fought in his place when Stark stayed home with his wife and son.
“So I stayed and he went. About a year later we got word that he had been killed. So I’d like to find the wall, see his name and just thank him. That’s the most important part of me going,” Stark said.
Ray Grissom, an Air Force veteran, was also an Honor Flight first-timer. Staff from The Pointe at Summit Hills joined as his entourage to send him off.
“There’s a lot of us and we all served well. And I’m so thankful to this country and for what the veterans have done to give us the joy of our freedom,” Grissom said.
Veterans Brad Cross and Ed Evans met for the first time while taking part in the Kern County Honor Flight. Asked for his first impression, Evans said, “Well, he survived.”
Stark said he was excited to travel with fellow veterans, regardless of branch of service.
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“Just to see the different services. It doesn’t matter what the service is, we all served our country and this is fantastic,” Stark said.