LAW ENFORCEMENT
Two Jones County veterans were among those selected for the Middle Georgia Honor Flight to Washington D.C. last weekend.
According to its website, the mission of the Middle Georgia Honor Flight is to enable United States veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam era wars to visit the memorials of armed conflicts in the nation’s capital at no cost to them.
The Jones County veterans who went on the Oct. 14 Honor Flight were Bobby May, who is a veteran of the Korean War, and Vietnam veteran Don Rooks.
Middle Georgia Honor Flight board member Ben Sandifer said, in spite of a steady drizzling rain for most of the day, they had a very successful Honor Flight. Each of the 15 veterans on the flight are assigned guardians. Sandifer said it turned out that the guardians for May and Rooks served in the same branches of service as the veterans.
He said Nelson Wilcox, an Army veteran from Warner Robins, was May’s guardian for the day, and Tammy Nikolas, an Air Force veteran from Bonaire, accompanied Rooks during the trip.
Sandifer said the Oct. 14 Honor Flight was the 17th mission for the organization. He said the Middle Georgia Honor Flight was founded in 2018 and is one of over 30 hubs in the Honor Flight Network. He said they partner with Contour Airlines for six flights per year, and the next scheduled flight is Nov. 4.
Middle Georgia Honor Flight is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that serves 69 Georgia counties with a combined veteran population of more than 126,500.
Bobby May
May, who will be 91 in December, said it was a wonderful trip, with the only downside of the entire day, the rain.
“I think this was the most congenial group I’ve ever been with,” he said.
The itinerary was tight, leaving from the Macon Airport at 5:30 a.m. and returning at 9:30 p.m. The day was filled with visits to eight national memorials, in addition to visiting Arlington National Cemetery that included attending the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
May said he was impressed by the sheer number of graves in Arlington Cemetery.
“You think about all who died so we can enjoy the freedom we have today,” the veteran said.
He was one of the two Korean War veterans on the flight and was wearing the Korean War hat that he was given on the trip during his Oct. 20 interview.
The veteran talked about the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“He marched in the rain, took 21 steps and turned each time,” he recalled.
May said he had been to Washington D.C. years ago but had not seen the memorials. He said he was perhaps most impressed with the statue of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.
The veteran said the chartered plane had plenty of room, and he could see out of the window. He said they were well cared for and were fed three times during the trip.
“I’m glad I went. It was a good day,” he said.
May served two years in the Army Infantry, during which time he was sent to Germany. He was born in Columbia County and was drafted in 1953. He moved to Gray in 1963. The veteran said he worked for Georgia Craft but retired from the Post Office in Milledgeville.
Don Rooks
Rooks is a Vietnam veteran, and he said the trip meant a lot to him. The veteran said it took about two years from the time he signed up for the Honor Flight online to be selected, but it was well worth the wait.
The veteran said he had really looked forward to the trip, and he was not disappointed.
He said the guardians catered to every need of the veterans and had a wheelchair available for each at every stop.
Rooks said Arlington Cemetery ‘blew him away.’
“I never dreamed it was that big,” he said.
He was also impressed at the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He said everything there was done in 21s. He said the guard took 21 steps, turned and paused for 21 seconds.
“We put him on the clock. He was right on the second,” the veteran said.
Rooks said he had seen the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, but it was the first time he saw the real thing.
He noted that the tour guides were phenomenal.
“The ones we had knew everything, all the details of the whole city,” he said.
Rooks served seven years in the Air Force and four years in the Air Force reserves. After getting out of the military, he said he worked several jobs, including working for the railroad, working as a welder and working on airplanes before being employed at Robins Air Force Base.
He retired from the base in 2005.
Rooks said the Honor Flight was well organized down to the welcome home when they returned.
Sandifer said at the end of each honor flight, the veterans are met by family and friends at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport for a “Welcome Home” celebration. These are open to the public, and for many of these veterans it is the first “Welcome Home” they have ever experienced.
Rooks said that was the first time he had been welcomed home as a Vietnam veteran, and it meant a lot.
“I hadn’t had that before. It was a wonderful thing,” he said.
Rooks said he would 100 percent recommend any eligible veteran to sign up for the Honor Flight.
“There is no excuse not to go. They have everything covered,” he added.
