Page 52 - Summer 2019 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine - Online Magazine
P. 52

HONORING SENIORS




                                    GUARDIAN





                                                   EXPERIENCES





                                                     by Barry Sims




                                                     Early the next morning, after   I pushed wheelchairs and aided
                                                     J. L. showed his recently    wherever I saw a need.  About a
                                                     renewed driver’s license     week later, Mr. Slaughter passed
                                                     for ID, and going through    away from complications unrelated
                                                     an Honor Guard, we were      to the trip.  The family, feeling that
                                                     off on the charter flight.    the Honor Flight enabled him to
                                                     The Baltimore arrival was    make his final mission, asked me to
                                                     a lifetime event for me.  As   be a pall bearer at his funeral.  I still
                                                     I pushed Mr. Slaughter       remain in contact with his widow.
            n the spring of 2016, I heard            through the airport, total
            a program about the Honor         strangers were applauding and       On the trip, we make stops at the
         IFlight from a veteran and his       shaking hands and saying thank you   Marine Corps Museum, Arlington
         guardian.  I asked a few questions   to the veterans!                    Cemetery (Tomb of the Unknown
         and decided that I could probably                                        Soldier and Kennedy Grave), Marine
         act as a guardian; this would be a   At the WWII Memorial, J. L., being   Corps Memorial, National Air and
         way for me to thank the veterans     the oldest WWII veteran in our      Space Museum, Washington Navy
         for serving their country.  I sent   group, was honored to lay the       Yard, Air Force Memorial, the
         in an application, after finding it   wreath at the Pacific Division.    Capitol (where we go on the floor
         online, and then waited.  A couple   We marched (and rolled) in with     of the House and are addressed by
         of months before the scheduled       bagpipes playing, and he laid the   our Congressman), Vietnam Wall,
         flight, I had a call asking if I was still   wreath, with his chest puffed out   Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean
         interested and telling me to send in   and his blue eyes sparkling.  It was a   War Memorial, with some variations
         my $1300.  A couple of weeks later,   proud moment, and I was thrilled to   every year.
         my acceptance letter arrived with    be a small part of it.
         instructions and details.                                                At each of these memorials we
                                              I was Mr. Slaughter’s roommate,     march (and roll) in with bagpipes
         At the preflight meeting, the evening   and he began
         before takeoff, I received some      complaining of stomach
         further instructions, met my veteran   pains in the night.  When
         and the staff – lots of new faces    I called for help, the
         and names!  My veteran was J. L.     medical staff was there
         Slaughter, a 95-year-old WWII Navy   in two minutes and
         veteran from Levelland.  He was      determined he needed
         using a walker for short distances   to be hospitalized.  One
         but needed a wheelchair to go very   of the staff members
         far.  We hit it off well, and while I   accompanied J. L., and I
         knew it was a challenge, I felt up to   was told to fill in for the
         it.  The staff was very helpful.     staff member.  For the
                                              remainder of the trip,




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