Submitted Photo
Area residents Larry Starrett, John Rice and Jim Rash (from left) were among 74 veterans taking part in the Central Missouri Honor Flight to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
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John Rice, Larry Starrett and Jim Rash were chosen for this very special and emotional journey to visit the WWII, Korea and Vietnam memorials. They also visited Arlington National Cemetery, witnessing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guards even displayed a special acknowledgment of the 74 veterans who had traveled to D.C. as part of the special flight.
The trip began in Columbia with the veterans arriving at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14 to get assigned to their “guardians” and have breakfast prior to traveling by bus to St.Louis. They arrived in St. Louis for an early 4:25 a.m. check-in for their flight. While in Washington D.C. the veterans also visited the Marine Iwo Jima and the Air Force memorials prior to their departure back to St. Louis.
On their return to Columbia, the veterans witnessed another special tribute in their honor as Interstate 70 was closed to traffic for the last few miles while the Missouri Honor Guard (over 300 motorcycles strong) escorted the busses on the final leg of their journey. The overpasses and sides of the road were lined with hundreds of people waving flags, setting off fireworks and staying warm with bonfires. The men said they had never seen so many flags and even at 10 p.m. it was a beautiful sight.
The experience is provided to Missouri veterans free of charge and is solely funded by donations from the public.