Page 94 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2018- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

5th President – Gary Vaughn 2017

“I got involved with the Honor Flight by default in 2014. My wife Alice had applied to go and was
accepted. She asked if I would accompany her to the Honor Flight send-off dinner, where we found out that
that one of the guardians had to drop out. It was 8:30PM the night before they were to embark at 6:00AM the
next morning. I was approached to see if I could fill in. I was honored to be asked and glad I was able to go. It
was one of (my favorite) experiences. In 2015 I signed up to go again. In 2016,
(I served) as Vice President. The following year I became President.
“Public service is my passion, and I started in 1976 with the Fire Department in Plainview, Texas. I was
with the Lubbock Fire Department from1980- 2003, then retired as a Lieutenant. I have been involved with
the SCUBA and high angle rescue teams. I became a Paramedic and worked at Lubbock EMS. I worked
for the volunteer ambulance service in Shallowater for 22 years. I was a member on the City Council in
Shallowater for six years. I am a Huntmaster for the Texas Wildlife Association, teaching hunter education
classes for the state of Texas and taking young people on guided deer hunting trips.
“As the president of the Honor Flight I worked hard to develop new ways to raise monies, working with
radio and television producers to get the word out to veterans that this is the trip of a lifetime and available
to them at no cost. The people of the South Plains have been very good at supporting the Honor Flight. I
hope they continue to do so until every veteran has had the opportunity.”

6th President – Peyton Oldham 2018

“I found out about the Honor Flight in 2015. One of my friends recommended I go as a guardian on
the 2015 flight. It has been one of the best decisions of my life. I was assigned to a Korean War veteran
and fell in love with the program and everything it stood for. After the flight, I was asked if I wanted to
join the committee. In 2016 (and 2017) I was asked to be the military liaison on the flight and lead the
veterans in laying the wreaths at the memorials. I currently serve as President of the Honor Flight and
plan on being involved as long as possible.
“I graduated from Lubbock High School in 2010 and joined the Navy in 2011 as a Master at Arms
(Military Police). I made three overseas deployments and separated from the Navy in 2015 as a petty
officer 3rd class. I enrolled at Texas Tech University and am currently a senior with a Major in Global
Studies and an Arabic minor. This summer I am be going on a Study Abroad to Vietnam and Cambodia
for a month to learn more about the Vietnam War and to try and better understand what we can to do
help our Vietnam Veterans on the Flight.
“It is quite challenging being the President while being a full-time student along with a part-time job,
but the mission is more than worth it. Many of these veterans would not be able to see the monuments
without this program. I pray that every veteran signs up for the flight, and we have the support of the
community to continue the Flight for years to come!”

Mike Travis – VA Medical Representative and Trip Coordinator

“In 2012, a friend came into my office at the Lubbock VA clinic with an invitation by the original Honor
Flight committee to serve as their VA Representative.
“I graduated from high school in San Antonio, Texas in 1968. I was in the Marine Corps from 1968-1972,
serving in Vietnam for two tours. I attended infantry, jungle warfare, amphibious assault, and NCO school.
We carried the M16; I was in the Marine Air Wing as a door gunner on the Huey gun ship.
“While in the military, I learned to scuba dive. This enabled me to work in oil fields as a deep-sea
saturation diver for ten years in Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and Brazil. I also became
interested in medicine in the Marine Corps, so I became a diving paramedic. I went to nursing school and
worked as a nurse for 10 years, then became a PA for 23 years. I moved to Post, Texas and worked at the
clinic, then I came to the VA Clinic in Lubbock where I worked for 20 years, retiring in May 2017.
“Every year, the Honor Flight organization, tour group, and committee has made certain each trip
is seamless and special, even when including a surprise flyover by the President of the U.S. Our U.S.
Congressman Jodey Arrington has advocated well for the Honor Flight. Veterans remark they have had
the time of their lives. Some have even crossed paths with other veterans whom they haven’t seen in years,
rekindling old friendships and making new ones.
“I firmly believe the Honor Flight is worth experiencing, and we’d love for you to call us, and let us visit
with you. I’ve never met anybody that was disappointed in taking the Honor Flight.”

94 Lubbock Senior Link